RAMALLAH, West Bank — A joint training on Oct. 24 in Israel between the Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli civil defense units has been stirring accusations in Palestine of normalization. This training was held amid frozen security coordination between the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel, which was halted in July following security measures at the Temple Mount. Coordination fully resumed between the two sides on Oct. 27.

More than 400 people from Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Spain, Italy and France participated on Oct. 24-25 in a two-day, wide-scale exercise dubbed "Middle East Forest Fires" between Hebron in the West Bank and Beersheba within the green line. The event was held under the auspices of the EU and aimed at beefing up mechanisms to address natural disasters.

The exercise is a simulation of huge fires that might result in regional catastrophes; it demonstrates methods of cooperation among humanitarian relief teams to improve performance and exchange of information in emergencies among the region’s countries. The ultimate goal is to save lives and preserve nature, without allowing national affiliations to get in the way.

Palestinian political parties, bodies and committees have always criticized cooperation between the PA and Israeli institutions. This joint training received its share of criticism, as the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS) condemned the Palestinian and Jordanian cooperation in the training as an act of normalization.