Israel foils smuggling of elephant ivory at Allenby Bridge
Trade and possession of ivory is prohibited in the State of Israel, which is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
By CASSANDRA GOMES-HOCHBERGUpdated: OCTOBER 18, 2018 18:28
The Civil Administration foiled the smuggling of elephant ivory at the Allenby Bridge crossing between the West Bank and Jordan on Thursday, the body said in a statement.A Palestinian was caught trying to smuggle two elephant ivory tusks from abroad to Israel, claiming he had hunted them on a trip to Africa. After being caught by the customs inspector of the crossing, he was transferred to the Civil Administration's Nature Reserves Unit for investigation.Trade and possession of ivory is prohibited in the State of Israel, which is a signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Trade is possible only with the approval of nature reserves and parks, after inspectionS that determine if the ivory is ancient.The Allenby Bridge, also known as the King Hussein bridge, connects the West Bank to Jordan. It is currently the only entry and exit point for West Bank Palestinians.The commander of the Allenby Bridge in the Civil Administration, Maj. Hadi Khatib, said "we see with great severity attempts to smuggle illegal objects of every kind and work around the clock to eradicate the phenomenon."