Did israelis start fire in pategonia
Executive summary
There is no verified evidence that Israeli citizens—or the Israeli state—deliberately started the recent wildfires in Argentine Patagonia; senior Argentine officials and opposition figures have amplified unproven accusations while Jewish groups and fact-checkers say the claims are baseless and antisemitic [1] [2] [3]. Argentine authorities have confirmed some fires were started intentionally and launched investigations, but public reporting does not show conclusive proof linking those arsons to Israelis [4] [5].
1. What people are claiming and why it spread
A wave of social-media posts, TV interviews and statements by opposition figures accused “Israelis” or a “foreign state” of setting fires in Patagonia, buoyed by a viral A24 interview and by posts from figures like former army chief César Milani and radio host Marcela Feudale [1] [4] [6]. Those accusations tapped into a long-standing conspiracy—known as the Andinia Plan—that alleges a Zionist plot to take Patagonian land and which historians and Jewish groups say is a revived, antisemitic myth [3] [7].
2. What official sources and credible outlets report
Firefighting authorities and mainstream outlets report massive, damaging fires in Chubut and neighboring provinces and confirm investigators are treating some blazes as deliberate, but the official public record cited in reporting does not attribute those deliberate starts to Israeli nationals or the Israeli state [5] [4]. Major Jewish and anti-hate organizations, along with presidential statements, warned against scapegoating and condemned the spread of unverified claims [2] [8] [6].
3. Specific allegations (grenades, arrests) and how well they’re sourced
Claims that Israeli military-grade grenades or M26 IM devices were found and that Israelis have been caught setting fires appear in online commentaries and some partisan outlets, but these assertions are contested and not corroborated by independent, authoritative investigative reporting presented in the collected sources [9] [10]. Where sensational specifics are reported, other outlets and Jewish community groups label them as unverified or conspiratorial; several journalists and a radio host later apologized for repeating unproven claims [8] [6].
4. Politics, motives, and the appeal of a foreign scapegoat
Accusations have been amplified amid heated domestic politics—land sale debates, a proposed embassy move, and criticisms of the national government—so blaming an external group serves multiple political functions: it mobilizes anger, distracts from governance questions, and revives historical antisemitic tropes that resonate with certain constituencies [4] [3]. Opposition amplification and viral social clips increased reach irrespective of evidentiary support [1] [11].
5. Historical context that shapes interpretation
The Andinia Plan conspiracy, which surfaced decades ago and was even invoked during Argentina’s dictatorship, provides a ready-made narrative that frames Israelis or Jews as historical threats to Patagonia; multiple recent reports emphasize that this theory has been debunked repeatedly by historians and civic groups yet keeps resurfacing after major fires [7] [3]. Previous incidents—such as an accidental fire started by an Israeli tourist in Torres del Paine years earlier—are sometimes misremembered or weaponized to fit the narrative [7].
6. Bottom line — did Israelis start the fires?
Based on the available, credible reporting collated here, there is no verified evidence that Israelis intentionally started the Patagonia fires; allegations exist and have been widely circulated, but mainstream outlets, Jewish organizations, and fact-checkers describe those charges as unproven or antisemitic, and authorities have not publicly produced confirmed links to Israeli perpetrators in the sources reviewed [2] [8] [5]. Investigations are ongoing and some local reporting mentions deliberate ignition, but the specific claim that “Israelis started the fires” remains unsupported by the verified sources provided [4] [5].