Israeli defense minister thanks Palestinian president for sending firefighters to Jerusalem
The cooperation on fighting the wildfires in Jerusalem is not the only recent evidence Israeli-Palestinian relations may be improving.
In a rare move, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz thanked Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday for helping Israel’s firefighting efforts in Jerusalem.
“I would like to thank PA Chairman Abbas for his initiative to send the firefighters who came to assist Israel today,” said Gantz in a tweet. “Mutual care and saving human lives are common interests to us all.”
Severe wildfires broke out on Monday west of Jerusalem in forested areas and towns. Thousands were forced to evacuate and several houses caught fire. There have been several fires throughout the Middle East, North Africa and southern Europe this summer.
Palestinian civil defense firefighters came to Jerusalem to help extinguish the fires. Palestinian firefighters also responded to fires in Israel in 2010 and 2016, according to local media.
