Sacrificial goat smuggled into Temple Mount, woman charged with animal abuse
The animal was found dead after it was hidden inside a plaster cavity placed on the woman's belly to imitate pregnancy • Two are suspected of wanted to sacrifice the goat as a Passover sacrifice
A severe indictment for animal abuse, conspiracy, and preparation to commit a crime was filed Monday against an 18-year-old woman who tried to smuggle a kid goat into the Temple Mount during Passover this year for the purpose of sacrificing an offering.
According to the indictment, the young woman planned the course of action with another activist, 25, and the two arrived together at the Old City of Jerusalem on the eve of the holiday. The young woman hid the kid, which was only 10 days old, inside a plaster container designed to look like a pregnant belly to conceal him from the authorities.
Near Jaffa Gate, the young woman aroused the suspicion of police officers, who stopped her for a check. Sounds were heard from the cavity, but when the officers opened it, the kid had already suffocated to death.
The police allege that this was a premeditated act done with complete disregard for the welfare of the animal. The indictment emphasizes the severity of the offense and the cynical use of an animal to promote ideology.
Sacrifices on the religious site are banned, as it is where the Al-Aqsa mosque sits, and Israeli policy is to not alter the status quo, as part of regional understandings with the Palestinians and Jordan.