REG 210705 DONKEY
Pictures of the donkey being "detained" by Israeli soldiers went viral on social media, with comments that read: “The occupation [regime’s] persecution and arrest of animals is evidence of its insignificance.” Image Credit: Supplied

Dubai: A donkey was "arrested" by Israeli soldiers in Jerusalem’s Jabal Mukaber neighbourhood for allegedly being used to carry out hostilities against Israelis, local media reported.

Pictures of the donkey being "detained" by Israeli soldiers went viral on social media, with comments that read: “The occupation [regime’s] persecution and arrest of animals is evidence of its insignificance.”

Tweeps said last month a military unit raided a Palestinian house in the town of Silwan to confiscate a broom.

It is not the first time that Israeli soldiers have arrested a donkey. In 2017, Israeli security forces launched several campaigns to ‘arrest’ and confiscate donkeys, and other animals owned by Palestinians in Jerusalem and the West Bank. In the same year, they detained a ‘donkey’ in Jerusalem for “lacking legal status”, according to a news report published by Palestinian news agency Ma’an.

Donkeys are the main transportation means for Palestinian farmers in rural areas, such as the outskirts of Bethlehem. Palestinian farmers accuse Israeli authorities of confiscating their donkeys for lacking proper registration or for coming too close to Israeli colonies.