A bill that would ban the commercial transport of livestock for slaughtering purposes to Israel passed its preliminary reading on Wednesday without objections.
The bill would prevent live shipments on the grounds that such actions are a form of animal cruelty. "This bill seeks to end the pointless and excessive suffering of hundreds of thousands of animals brought to Israel in horrid and inhumane conditions, only to be slaughtered," the bill's abstract says.
Sponsors of the bill include members of Likud, Meretz and the Zionist Union. They note that according to experts across the world, live transports should be reduced to the bare minimum because of the pain inflicted on the animals. Upon enactment of the bill, a transition period of three years would begin, during which the government would set an annual quota for livestock imports. After the transition period ends, the full ban would take effect. The import of meat products would not be affected by the bill, since it specifically targets shipments of livestock. The bill needs to go through three more readings in the Knesset plenum.
MK Miki Zohar (Likud), a sponsor of the bill, called the vote a "historic moment for Israel." He said this means that "Israel decided to take this matter seriously, and Israelis consider this matter seriously as well, even if they consume meat."
He added: "I am not a vegan or vegetarian, but the welfare of animals is an important matter, because it dovetails with our value system as Jews. I was horrified when I saw the images of so many animals suffering to such degree on their way here."
