Palestinian official newspapers: Israel uses super rats against Jerusalem Arabs

July 24, 2008

The Palestinian Authority's official news agency Wafa says Israel is using poison resistant rats to drive Arab families out of their homes in the Old City of Jerusalem. The information is released under a report by Dr. Hasan Khater, secretary-general of the Islamic-Christian Front in Jerusalem, and cites an unnamed Arab resident as saying that he had tried to eliminate the rats with various poisons, but to no avail.

Several Palestinian newspapers, are claiming Israel's goal to be increasing Arab suffering in Jerusalem by turning their lives into a "real tragedy" with Palestinian newspaper Al-Hayat al-Jadida stating that the enhanced rats are scaring cats away with their size and aggression, and that traditional methods of dealing with them have been unfruitful. Dr. Khattar's report, however, has been noted by Israeli news agency Omedia for neglecting to explain how the rats were allegedly taught by Israel to distinguish between the city's Arab and Jewish population.

The Wafa agency, which is controlled and funded by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's office, has in the past accused Israel of using wild pigs to drive Palestinians out of their homes citing Palestinian 'victims' quoted as saying that they had seen Israelis release herds of wild pigs, which later attacked them.

Gidi Schmerling, the spokesman for the Jerusalem Municipality, responded that the story had no connection to reality and the report was "pure fiction".