Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Good news: Hunting may soon be banned in Israel!


The Jerusalem Post reported on Monday that hunting might soon be banned in Israel. According to the Post, a bill banning all hunting was recently approved by the Ministerial Committee on Legislation, the government body that must screen all bills going before the Knesset. Right now, there is a list of animals in Israel that receive "protected species status" and therefore cannot be hunted. If this bill is passed, "nearly all animals would receive that status," notes the Post.

Of all the world's countries, Israel has been leading the way in the fight for animal rights, and this law would be yet another major breakthrough on behalf of animals. Over the years, Israel's Nature and Parks Authority has been refusing to grant additional hunting permits, and the number of Israelis with these permits has dropped from 6,000 to 2,000.

This could be a major victory.

"We praise the advancement of the bill, which includes banning sport hunting in Israel," said the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. "Development pressures already do a lot of damage to nature and therefore there isn't room anymore for sport hunting. There is a unique and rich biodiversity in Israel and it is our responsibility to protect it rather than damage it through unnecessary activities."

The bill, said the Post, is expected to go through swift passage in the Knesset.

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