“This bloody campaign resulted in killing many dogs, [by] shooting, hanging, abusing, running over them by cars,” the Animal and Environment Association in Bethlehem stated.
By Adina Katz, World Israel News
The mayor of Hebron offered cash incentives towards residents of the city who are willing to slay stray dogs, leading to the slaughter of canines in the streets and outrage from Palestinian animal rights groups.
“Whoever kills a stray dog or delivers to us a stray dog that’s been killed, we are willing to reward him with 20 shekels ($5.50) or each dog delivered to us,” Tayseer Abu Sneineh told an Arabic-language radio station last Wednesday.
Abu Sneineh, who has been mayor of Hebron since 2017, was convicted of terrorism due to his involvement in a deadly attack on a yeshiva which killed six, including two American and three Canadian citizens. He spent just three years in an Israeli prison before being released in a 1983 prisoner exchange.
Social media footage showed Hebron residents immediately heeding Abu Sneineh’s call, by chasing down stray dogs and killing them for the cash reward.
The Animal and Environment Association in Bethlehem, which is the only animal shelter in PA-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria, released a statement on their Facebook page condemning Abu Sneineh’s offer.
“This bloody campaign resulted in killing many dogs, [by] shooting, hanging, abusing, running over them by cars,” they wrote. “What happened today is beyond humanity and ethics. No religion would accept such barbaric actions toward innocent animals.”
Despite the criticism, Abu Sneineh doubled down on the initiative in a subsequent radio interview on Friday.
Comparing the stray dogs to feral pigs in Jordan, Abu Sneineh insisted that a municipal initiative which rewards locals for eliminating a threat to public safety is legitimate
“I’ve had children brought to my home after having been bitten by stray dogs and their condition was extremely critical…this is a real problem that needs a solution,” he said.
Pro-Israel advocate and Arab-Israeli IDF veteran Yoseph Haddad spoke out about the program on Twitter.
“What is happening in Hebron is simply shocking,” he wrote.
“Dozens of dogs are being brutally abused and mistreated, and why? Because the mayor of Hebron offered 20 shekels for every dog killed. This is a culture of murderous violence towards helpless animals.”