Israeli-owned vineyards and fields in the Shiloh area in Samaria on Wednesday were consumed in a blaze ignited by Arab arsonists.
Mass fires spread in the area shortly after several suspicious individuals were seen fleeing the scene.
Firefighters fought the blazes, which approached and threatened homes in the nearby Israeli communities.
At some point, the wind shifted and the fire invaded Arab-owned fields as well.
Arab vandalism of Israeli-owned agricultural endeavors is a common occurrence, and Israeli vineyards in Judea and Samaria have been repeatedly targeted by Arab sabotage.
On Tuesday, terrorists threw firebombs into the cherry tree plantation belonging to Kibbutz Kfar Etzion, causing extensive damage to the trees.
Israel’s fire department has been battling hundreds of blazes throughout Judea and Samaria and in the Jerusalem area in recent weeks, suspected to be mostly the work of Arabs arsonists.
Arab terrorists over the years have adopted arson as a weapon against Israel, taking advantage of the dry and hot weather to ignite fires and cause mass damage to property as well as the loss of life.
The fire department announced last week that mass blazes in the center of Israel that caused the displacement of thousands and the destruction of dozens of homes is suspected to be an act of arson.
Teams investigating the scene at Mevo Modi’im and Kibbutz Harel have discovered that the fires were ignited at several locations, lending credence to the suspicion that the fire was ignited by arsonists.
Earlier that month, the police arrested three Arabs who attempted to start fires in Jerusalem as an act of terrorism.
A police spokesman stated that while firefighters across the country were fighting fires, police in Jerusalem arrested three suspects for attempting to deliberately start fires.
