12:30 Ambassador Aharoni: “We expect the Palestinians to recognize our right to exist just as we recognized theirs”

12:35 Mr. Michael Miller: “I hope we all enjoy this open dialogue this afternoon”

12:37 Minister Edelstein is asked by the moderator whether the world is right to be “baffled” by Israel’s recent actions in trying to block the Palestinian’s UDI bid. Minister Edelstein: “We are prepared to negotiate a solution There is only one way to reach ANY understanding. I don’t know when negotiations will start and when they will end. One thing I know for a fact, they won’t end if they don’t start.”

12:45 Raneen Khoury, an Israeli-Arab from Nazareth talks about coming to New York. When she told people she was coming this week, people joked she was coming with Abu Mazen. Raneen emphasizes the importance of open dialogue, saying,”I’m a Christian, and I could have been a Druze or a Muslim or a Jew. But what matters above all else is I’m a person.”

12:51 Kasay Damosa is speaking now, telling the amazing story of her mother from a small Jewish village in Ethiopia. Kasaey “My family and I started the journey to Israel through Sudan in 1983. We got to Sudan and that was one of the hardest things we had to face. We were basically stuck in the refugee camp for 9 months.” While there, she says they could not tell people they were Jewish, as Sudan is a Muslim country.

1:00 Q&A has begun, see @israelconsulate for the full play by play

1:30 First panel has ended, we’ll be posting all the open debate later today on this page, but for now, head on over to twitter.com/israelconsulate to get a snapshot of the discussion

2:24 Next panel is about to start, and it should be a good one – focusing on REAL people. Read about the panelists here

2:26 We’re going to start with Adam Assad, who is a Druze-Israeli. He’s a 19 year old studying International Relations, “I want to complete the puzzle of Israeli society. I want to show you the Druze community in Israel.” “I just applied to get a new job in Haifa, and people told me, you can’t get this job because you are an Arab, you are Druze. I applied to the job and did all the interviews and my friend Masjid and I, we got the job. Out of 10 people who applied, 2 got the job – a Muslim and myself. I’m not saying Israel is perfect, in every society there is inequality, but it’s about the person”

2:34 Next up is Clara Cohen, born in Argentina, who says “I never had to choose between being Argentinian or a Jew. I can be both in Israel. I can bring my Argentinian heritage to Israel”

2:44 Hadas speaking now about her father, an Ethiopian rabbi. Her journey to Israel meant walking at night, and sleeping by day, but she was two, so someone probably carried her she jokes.

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We’re calling it “Open Tent” and it’s exactly what it sounds like. With everything going on this week at the United Nations, Israel realizes how important it is to have an honest, open dialogue. A free, no taboo discussion on Israeli society and the future of the Jewish state.

In addition to speakers ranging from Minister MK Yuli Edelstein, the event will feature leading experts from a wide array of disciplines. Most importantly, this event is about YOU! Your voice, your questions, and your involvement.

One of the panels you should be most excited about focuses on Multi-Culturalism in Israel. Realizing that diversity creates both challenges and opportunities, we want to give our followers on social media the chance to talk to real Israelis from a variety of backgrounds. No question is off limits. What do they think about the upcoming UN vote? What role do minorities play in a Jewish state?

Below, you can read a little about some of the faces of Israel we’ll be talking with tomorrow. You can submit questions you would like to ask them or Minister Edelstein below, on our Facebook page, or send us a tweet @israelconsulate.

Raneen Khoury

Born and raised in the city of Nazareth, Raneen has lived in the midst of Israeli co-existence, always trying to progress Arab – Jewish relations within Israel through various co-existence projects such as the establishment of the National Service Organization.

Currently she is the manager of “Lehava” project whose aim is to decrease the digital gap within Israeli society.

Adam Asad

Adam is a 19 year old Druze from Sajour, a village situated in the North of Israel. Throughout university, Adam was involved in community work with Muslims, Jews and Christians.   Adam is currently an English teacher and in pursuit of his second degree, a BA degree in International Relations at the University of Haifa.

Kasaey Keren Damoza

I was born in a small village in the Ghondar region of Ethiopia to a family of six. In 1983, my family and I set out on our journey to the land of Israel, passing through the Sudanese desert and Red Cross camps. I served at the Israeli Defense Force as a communication officer and discharged as a lieutenant. Now,I am finishing my Masters in Management of Non-Profit Organizations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Clara Cohen

36 years old.  Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Moved to Israel at the age of 21. Works as Director at Latin America & Spain Department in a privately owned company.

Hadas Yossef

Born in Ethiopia, at two years old she began the journey to Israel with her family by foot, all the way from Ethiopia through Sudan.

After completing her studies in Architecture at the Bezalel High Institute for Arts, Hadas began working as a professional architect at one of the biggest firms in Israel.

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Knesset member and former minister Ze’ev Biom died on Friday at the age of 67 after a battle with cancer. A member of the Kadima Party, his career in Israel’s parliament included posts as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Minister of Housing and Construction and Minister of Immigrant Absorption. In addition, he served as Deputy Minister of Defense from March 2003 until January 2006.

A former teacher in Kiryat Gan, Ze’ev eventually became mayor of the Israeli city for 13 years. He is survived by his wife, three children, and seven grandchildren.

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Always a time for planting in Israel, the ancient Jewish New Year for the Trees or Tu B’Shvat – this year, corresponding to the 20th of January – will serve as a symbolic start to bringing the devastated Carmel forest back to life after the early December fire that led to 44 deaths and destroyed about five million trees along with many plants and creatures.

It will take massive manpower and money to restore the nature reserve, fix damaged buildings and infrastructure, and care for residents traumatized or left homeless by the blaze. Many government ministries are working together with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and Keren Kayemeth LeYisrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) to rehabilitate the forest and prevent future disasters.

The Carmel Forest blankets the coastal Carmel mountain range, the only Israeli biosphere reserve designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Druze towns and cities are nestled in and around its 80 square miles, including the port city of Haifa on its northern slope.

Because it is mentioned often in biblical literature – most often in relation to the prophet Elijah, who many believe lived for some years in caves found on the slopes – this mountain range has great religious significance and is home to the Carmelite Catholic order and the world headquarters of the Baha’i faith.

The biodiverse Carmel has always been a favorite spot for nature-lovers thanks to its wide variety of aromatic plants, wild flowers and forest wildlife such as songbirds, raptors, reptiles and wildcats. In addition to oak, cypress and pistachio trees, the Carmel has the only woodland forest of Aleppo pine trees on the eastern Mediterranean coast.

The Carmel Forest Spa in better days. The woodland surrounding the exclusive spa
was almost completely destroyed in the fire.

“We don’t know how many adult pines are left now,” says Prof. Ido Izhaki, director of the Center for the Study of the Carmel, established less than two years ago by the University of Haifa in cooperation with the Nature and Parks Authority to supervise educational and preservation projects. “Many of them are gone. We hope we have enough to keep this species alive.”

Dousing the blaze

The deadliest fire in Israeli history began on the morning of December 2, 2010, the first day of Hanukkah – apparently ignited accidentally by a teenage resident of the Druze town of Ussafiya. A total of 44 people lost their lives, most of them Israel Prison Service cadets sent to evacuate a jail. More than 17,000 people were evacuated from villages in the vicinity of the fire.

Prime Minister Netanyahu put out an international call for help as KKL-JNF and Israeli firefighters were soon overwhelmed. More than 30 firefighting aircraft were sent from other countries to help Israeli crews battle the flames, including a privately-owned American Boeing 747 Evergreen Supertanker, the world’s largest firefighting aircraft. Planes and helicopters stocked with chemical extinguisher came from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom and United States.

Many of these countries also sent firefighting experts and fire retardant materials. Bulgaria sent 92 firefighters, Greece sent 34, Russia 22, the United States 11 and Holland five. Egypt sent material aid; Jordan sent three truckloads of firefighting equipment and materials; and the Palestinian Authority contributed 21 firefighters and three fire engines.

About one-third of the nature reserve was affected by the fire, and not only trees were lost. Michael Weinberger, KKL-JNF forest supervisor for the Western Galilee and Carmel Mountain, describes how the forest fire devastated animal habitats.

“Many animals were killed in the fire, but even if they managed to survive, their habitat is gone,” Weinberger explains. “I saw a deer that came back to its territory, a beautiful green forest that was now black and red from the fire retardant sprayed by the fire planes. The poor thing had such a look of shock and disbelief in its gentle eyes. And there was a goldfinch that stood staring at the burnt forest, incapable of moving even when people stood right next to it. These are memories I will never forget.”

Huge swathes of the forest were laid bare, destroying the habitat of millions of birds, animals
and wildlife.

Workers at the Carmel’s Hai Bar Nature Reserve managed to transfer its collection of raptors to the Ramat Hanadiv park while the fire raged. The government has formed a Plant and Animal Rehabilitation Committee to oversee rehabilitation of campgrounds, animal parks, Hai Bar and the Carmel Farm.

Although the damage was unprecedented, it was not the first time the Carmel Forest had been burned. Dr. Leah Wittenberg of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies at the University of Haifa estimates that since 1978, the range has suffered 500 small and medium fires as well as nine large ones, the most recent in 1989. Sections that have been burned more than once will be the most difficult to rehabilitate, she says.

A governmental steering committee representing various ministries launched an action plan in cooperation with the Environmental Protection Ministry, the Nature and Parks Authority and the KKL-JNF.

“We are currently carrying out several important missions,” Netanyahu reported on December 12, “Rehabilitating the communities, dealing with the evacuees, rehabilitating the Carmel forests, and quickly implementing the two main lessons – establishing a national fire and aerial firefighting force.”

Let nature take its course

At the Carmel Mountain Hotel just seven days after the fire was finally put out, KKL-JNF world chairman Efi Stenzler and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman presided over a symbolic tree-planting ceremony with ambassadors from the United States, Russia, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Japan, Korea, Holland, Norway, Romania, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Egypt and Jordan and a representative of the Palestinian Authority.

Generally, however, experts advise that it’s best for the scorched forest to regenerate slowly on its own, since replanting could result in an overly dense, fire-prone thicket.

Yisrael Tauber, director of KKL-JNF’s Afforestation Department, says that for the next 12 months, replanting will only be done in public recreational areas.

Prof. Ido Izhaki, head of the Carmel Research Center at the University of Haifa, agreed that only minimal intervention is necessary. “There are plant species [there] that have developed resilience to fire and those that have developed a dependency on fire, such as the Aleppo pine.”

Oddly, Aleppo pine cones crack open only through heat, releasing their seeds to the forest floor. “After this enormous fire, the Carmel will be covered with pine buds,” Izhaki predicts. “That is what happened after the 1989 fire.” Broad-leaved trees such as oak, arbutus and pistachio retained their roots and will begin to sprout more quickly.

Izhaki noted that some 15 to 20 years after the 1989 forest fire, “the forest reached a climax in terms of its fauna and vegetation diversity. This indicates that after about this amount of time following a fire, the forest will be home to more species of wildlife and vegetation than there were before,” assuming it can be protected from additional fires.

To that end, Dr. Omri Bonneh, KKL-JNF northern region director immediately put his staff to work in unburned portions of the forest. Professional rangers and domestic and international volunteers are thinning, pruning and creating fire breaks, and removing wood residue and tree branches that could ignite. They are also developing alternative hiking and biking trails while damaged ones are rebuilt.

Come spring, Bonneh says, new tree growth in the burned areas must be thinned to lessen the competition for scarce water. “Selective thinning increases biodiversity,” he says. “Natural selection favors pines, which are the quickest to grow, but we are interested in forests with a wide variety of trees.”

It will take $50 million to $100 million to accomplish all this, and Jewish relief organizations across the world have sprung into action to supplement what the Israel government can provide. The JNF in North America kicked off a $10 million campaign and joined with the Israel Tourism Ministry to solicit donations from both Jewish and Christian US communities in anticipation of Tu B’Shevat. The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee is aiming to raise some $6 million.

Caring for Carmel residents

Voluntary organizations were also on the scene to provide help. The Israel-based Global Jewish Assistance and Relief Network, for example, distributed more than 10,000 sandwiches, bottled water and Hanukkah doughnuts during the fire, and provided dozens of families with pre-paid food cards and other monetary assistance.

College students from the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya came north to help rebuild kindergartens at Kibbutz Beit Oren. Hundreds of graduates of Yemin Orde Youth Village descended there to repair damaged structures including a clinic, library and residences.

Many of those evacuated were able to return home within a day or two, but about 250 residences were destroyed, and many lacked fire insurance. The total cost of property and infrastructure damages caused by the Carmel fire is estimated at 120 million shekels.

The government set up mobile structures for displaced families and provided NIS 2,500 of emergency assistance to every displaced person, mostly in the communities of Kibbutz Beit Oren, Ein Hod, Yemin Orde Youth Village and Ussafiya. Families of firefighters and Prison Services cadets killed or injured in the fire will receive financial benefits similar to those provided to the families of fallen IDF soldiers.

Another NIS 450,000 went to the social welfare departments in the Ussafiya, Tirat Hacarmel and Carmel Coast Regional Council area to cover clothing and footwear, medicines and food.

Social work professors from the University of Haifa are providing staff training and free therapeutic counseling through the Regional Council of Hof Hacarmel, and Israel’s Social Welfare and Social Services Ministry mobilized social workers from the northern district to reinforce the local social welfare departments.

Izhaki, director of the Center for the Study of the Carmel, says the multidisciplinary center is working to improve the relationship between the Druze population and the biosphere in which many of them reside.

“People are blaming the entire Druze community for the fire, and we must find ways to help them live in peace with the reserve,” he says. One of the strategies will be to demonstrate how they can benefit economically from their surroundings, such as developing businesses based on eco-tourism.

The KKL-JNF is encouraging all area residents to “adopt” forests adjacent to their homes, help take care of them and become part of the decision-making process as the re-growth continues.

“We will be meeting with the people of Ein Hod, Ussafiya, Nir Etzion, Beit Oren and Yemin Orde and talking with them about strengthening their bond to the forest that’s being rehabilitated, environmental education and other ecological topics,” Bonneh promises.

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“A group from Russia crowded into the Church of the Nativity to hear an explanation of the differences between the three churches in the compound: Roman Catholic, which is observing the holiday tonight; Greek Orthodox (of which the Russians are also members), which will only be celebrating Christmas on January 7th; and the Armenian Church. Abbot (Father) Spyridon sits in a corner of the Orthodox church. He was born in Bethlehem 60 years ago and has served in the church since 1970. “There’s a good feeling this year,” he says. “More stability and fewer problems. After all, Bethlehem is based on tourism.” Some Palestinian police officers are circling around among the tourists, but according to Abbot Spyridon, their job is not just to protect the visitors. “There are still quite a few problems here,” he explains. He speaks Russian, Greek, English, Arabic and a little Spanish, and has seen a thing or two throughout his life inside and outside the church. During Operation Defensive Shield he was home with his wife and seven children.”

To read more from Ha’aretz (in Hebrew), click here.

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Plane dropping fire retardant over the fire on Mount Carmel

Israeli diplomatic missions in capitals around the world are continuing in their efforts to accelerate international assistance to enable the country to cope with the disaster. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has established a situation room with representatives from the Israel Air Force, the National Emergency Authority, the firefighting services and other agencies.

The following is the current situation according to the data received in the MFA’s situation room:

Twenty one aircraft and helicopters have arrived in Israel. Of these, thirteen are actively engaged in extinguishing the blaze.

One of the most important contributions from Israel’s allies was the Boeing Evergreen 747 forest-fighting plane sent over by the United States. The Evergreen, the largest fire-fighting plane in the world, has a capacity of 24,000 gallons (94,850 liters) which was filled with water and fire retardant. On Sunday, the American plane made two passes, and was instrumental in helping stop the blaze.

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In a ten-minute telephone call, U.S. President Barack Obama told Prime Minister Netanyahu that the United States would continue helping in any and every way until the last fire is out.

Breakdown by country:

Greece: 4 aircraft and an additional Hercules plane for equipment and cargo.

Cypress: 2 aircraft, 1 plane and 1 helicopter

Great Britain: 2 helicopters

Turkey: 2 planes

Russia: 4 planes, including 1 B-20, 1 YAK which brought in 10 experts and two Ilyushin-67s.

France: 1 cargo plane

Italy: 1 cargo plane

Bulgaria: Approximately 100 firefighters

Jordan: 3 firefighting vehicles and fire prevention materials

An additional thirteen planes landed in Israel last night, Saturday December 4th, 2010:

The United States: 2 Hercules planes originating from the US Air Force base in Germany, expected to land at approximately 1800 hours at Ben Gurion Airport. They are expected to carry fire prevention materials and other essential equipment.

Russia: 2 helicopters

France: 2 firefighting aircraft

Spain: 4 firefighting aircraft and an additional cargo plane

Azerbaijan: 2 helicopters

Switzerland: 1 helicopter

In adddition to the above, Israel’s own El Al has also flown in fire prevention materials from Marseille.

Later today, Sunday December 5th, an additional 3 planes from the US and one from Canada are expected to arrive.

Said Prime Minister Netanyahu, “I have spoken with approximately 30 heads of state and government, presidents and prime ministers, in the past three days. I must tell you that their mobilization, the warmth of their remarks, their willingness, the desire to help immediately, sometimes even before we have managed to request it, must warm the heart of all Israelis. There is very great solidarity here and there is very great cooperation, of course in keeping with their abilities. People are bringing what they have. Governments are bringing what they have, as per the distances which are often considerable; but not even this is deterring people.”

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Fire-fighting Amphibious Aircraft Sent to Israel

Forty-two lives have been lost and five injured in a fire raging on the Carmel mountain range in northern Israel. A national disaster has been declared.

The Israel Foreign Ministry is in contact with almost all European countries, and with Middle Eastern states regarding assistance in extinguishing the blaze. A number of nations have sent fire-fighting aircraft as well as equipment and supplies to help control the flames.

In addition to the human casualties, the environmental damage is vast in Carmel, known to Israelis as “Little Switzerland”. Four million trees have been decimated in an area of 8,650 acres.

The international response has been overwhelming, with
the United States, Greece, Cyprus, Britain, Turkey, Russia, Croatia, Azerbaijan, Spain, France, and Switzerland already sending forest fire-fighting planes and helicopters.

Bulgarian Firefighters in Israel

Bulgaria sent a contingency of 92 firefighters, and Israel’s close ally Jordan has sent firetrucks. The Palestinian Authority’s Prime Minister, Salam Fayyad, called Israeli President Shimon Peres to express his condolences to the families, and offered Palestinian support in the form of fire trucks sent to Carmel.

A Boeing 747 loaded with the fire retardant chemical needed to stop the raging Carmel forest fires left the United States for Israel Thursday night, thanks to a kind offer from New York City Mayor Bloomberg.

Said Mayor Bloomberg, “New York, and the United States as a whole, share a special bond with Israel in good times and bad. On behalf of the millions of New Yorkers kindling Hanukah lights across our City tonight, I want to thank the US Forest Service and their partners across the US Government for their quick response to our friends and allies in need.”

President Barack Obama offered his “deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of all of those who’ve died as a result of the terrible forest fire in northern Israel” noting that he “launched an effort across the U.S. government to identify the firefighting assistance we have available and provide it to Israel as quickly as possible. Of course, that’s what friends do for each other.”

Please stay tuned for future updates.

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