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20,000 like Facebook photo of dog attacking Palestinian woman

The photo, posted by an Israeli Facebook group called "I Love Dogs" has 20,000 likes and hundreds of vicious comments.

 

Kevin Collier

Internet Culture

Posted on Nov 19, 2012   Updated on Jun 2, 2021, 7:08 am CDT

Every day, the Daily Dot finds something that people on Facebook are sharing and, in turn, shares it with you—with a little explanation. Here’s today’s share.

In the wake of escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict, thousands of Israeli Facebook users have liked a picture of a Palestinian woman being attacked by a dog.

The Facebook group I LOVE DOGS, which has more than 100,000 fans on Facebook, curates a curious mix of photos: Most are either of cute puppies or devoted to Israeli nationalism. The photo it uploaded Saturday, though it depicted a canine, was just emblematic of the worst of the latter: a defenseless older woman, attacked by a trained military dog. The image already has more than 20,000 likes.

Though it looks as if it could have been Photoshopped, the photo was actually taken in 2007 by an AP photographer, though the context is no more savory than if it were used in current attacks. During a raid of a village in the West Bank, the Israeli-army-trained dog was supposed to enter a house to search for a specific militant, and instead attacked the defenseless woman. The AP reported that the army treated her on the scene.

The comments section is filled with vitriol, most of it written in Hebrew.

“Eat that fucking Muslim women eat baby eat,” wrote Tomer Milol. “Good boy who’s a good boy?”

“Good dog!!!! Doing sacred work!” wrote Yam Komm

At least some, though, were taken aback by the photo and its reception.

“How can you like a photo like that!!!!!” countered Yasmine El Boury. “this is violence and evil.”

Photo via I LOVE DOGS/Facebook

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*First Published: Nov 19, 2012, 3:34 pm CST