Horrific Heat Wave Envelopes Holy Land; Arabs Torch Forests in North*

by Ezra HaLevi

(IsraelNN.com) An intense heat wave continues throughout Israel,
spurring calls to cut electricity usage, consume plenty of water and
stay out of the sun.

The Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) has requested that Israelis
refrain from using major appliances between 12-6 PM and not turn air
conditioner thermostats below 77 degrees (25 Celsius).

The IEC remains on alert for outages, but does not expect any problems.
Peak demand is expected to rise to 9,500 megawatts – and the
infrastructure in place can handle up to 10,300.

Over the Sabbath, the highest temperatures were recorded in the Jordan
Valley. A high of 113 degrees (45 Celsius) was felt in the low area
along Israel’s border with Jordan. Elsewhere in the Jerusalem region,
temperatures were in the high nineties. It was cooler in Tel Aviv (82
Farenheit/28 Celsius), though the humidity was much higher than the rest
of the country.

The heat wave is expected to continue until Thursday.

Forest Fires Break Out; Arson Suspected
More than 20 fires broke out at nature preserves and forests across
Israel, near the Galilee towns of Kiryat Atta, Karmiel, Sakhnin, Deir
al-Assad and Abu Snen. Scores of acres of Galilee forest were burned in
what police say may have been nationalist arson by local Arabs. At least
one of the fires burned land and crops claimed by Arabs from a Jewish
kibbutz.

The hot weather made it difficult for firefighters to control the blazes.