PETA condemns use of 'terror falcon' by Hamas

"Animals claim allegiance to no nation, don't choose sides, and can only rely on human beings to show them mercy."

JULY 18, 2018 08:24

Updated: JULY 18, 2018 23:43

Falcon carrying flammable material found dead in park near Gaza Strip, July 17, 2018 (Gilad Gabay/Israel Nature and Parks Authority)

Tying flammable material to a falcon and sending it from the Gaza Strip into Israel with the intention of starting a fire was deemed an “unacceptable” use “as weapons of war” by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the animal rights organization said on Wednesday.

After Monday’s incident was publicized by the IDF Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, social media users reached out to PETA to condemn the action. “As an animal-protection organization, PETA notes that animals claim allegiance to no nation, don’t choose sides, and can only rely on human beings to show them mercy, and it is unacceptable to use them as weapons of war,” PETA wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

As an animal-protection organization, PETA notes that animals claim allegiance to no nation, don't choose sides, and can only rely on human beings to show them mercy, and it is unacceptable to use them as weapons of war.
— PETA (@peta) July 17, 2018

On Monday, an employee from the National Parks Authority discovered the bird after extinguishing a fire at the Habesor National Park near the Gaza Strip.

A falcon attached to a rope with flammable material was found today near the Gaza Strip. Arson fires have been caused by incendiary materials flown from Gaza into Israel. Apparently it’s not enough to destroy nature with kites, now falcons are being used for terror as well. pic.twitter.com/j6noxwCwqS
— COGAT (@cogat_israel) July 16, 2018

Nearly 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) of land on nature reserves and national parks near the Gaza Strip have been burned due to incendiary kites, balloons and condoms.

PETA, which has used Israeli celebrities in its advertisements in the past, also noted it is “concerned about human civilians, children and anyone else caught in the line of fire of any conflict.”

The organization has not shied away from making its opinion known about issues relating to the Middle East and Judaism in the past. It has warned tourists to refrain from visiting Petra in Jordan because of what it calls abuse of donkeys, and has appealed to people to host vegan Passover Seders.