Crime and Punishment

Lately we’ve been seeing more and more media coverage of animal abuse, and what everyone wants to know is, what price will the abusers pay.
The animal protection law states that an offense which constitutes abuse is punishable by up to three years imprisonment, but in the rare cases where an indictment is made, punishment is minimal.
A man that used poison to kill at least 6 cats only got 5 month community service and a measly 500 ILS fine. Another man, who tied his dog to his car and started driving, planning to abandon the dog, was punished 2.5 months community service and a 2000 ILS fine. A man who brutally killed a kitten in the street was given 2.5 months imprisonment and a 1000 ILS fine.
Punishment is not the whole story, and on its own it does not make up the solution to the ongoing abuse of animals. For the law to be effective, there must first be effective enforcement.
The animal protection law is grossly under enforced, since its conception, but statistics from recent years break new records.
In 2024, the Ministry of Agriculture, which is in charge of the application of the animal protection law, placed only 5 administrative fines, compared to 21 fines in 2023, and produced only 2 indictments, compared to just 1 in 2023 – an unprecedented low. In addition, the state’s attorney filed 3 more indictments, compared to 4 in 2023, and the police prosecutor filed 24 indictments compared to 21 in 2023.
When abusers know there will be no consequences to pay, this is what happens.