Critics of conditions in Gaza Zoo expose the value placed on Palestinian lives
Yvonne Ridley – October 1, 2019– Middle East Monitor
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20191001-critics-of-conditions-in-gaza-zoo-expose-the-value-place
Animal rights activists are furious that a zoo in the Gaza Strip which was shut down earlier this year because of the poor conditions has reopened with lions billed as the main attraction. The big cats were apparently smuggled into the tiny Palestinian enclave via tunnels from Egypt recently.
Personally, I think all zoos should be closed down, but this particular story in Britain’s Times newspaper — headlined “‘Cruel’ Gaza zoo reopens with smuggled lions as star attraction” — exposes the rank hypocrisy of the Western media and the value placed on Palestinian lives. The fact that more than two million Palestinians are crammed in to what is often described as the largest open-air prison in the world is not mentioned in the story.
Nor is the brutal siege imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip, even though the blockade covers land, air and sea, and keeps nearly 40 per cent of the population in dire poverty. And is, no doubt, responsible for the poor condition of zoo animals.
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