RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian mayor of the southern West Bank city of Hebron, Tayseer Abu Sneineh, announced during an interview on a local radio station Nov. 2 that he would offer 20 Israeli shekels ($5.85) to anyone who captures or kills a stray dog, in an effort to decrease the number of strays in the city.

Abu Sneineh’s announcement sparked widespread criticism among citizens, as well as animal welfare associations, that called for finding more merciful ways to deal with animals instead of killing them.

Several municipalities in the West Bank resort to killing stray dogs by shooting or poisoning them, while other local authorities, such as the Ramallah municipality, catch dogs in cages without hurting them in order to neuter them.

The difference among the local authorities in dealing with stray animals is due to the ambiguity in the wording of Article 15, Item 24 of the Palestinian Local Authorities Law, defining the functions and powers of the municipal councils in the West Bank. Item 24 stipulates that local councils are in charge of “monitoring stray dogs, regulating the acquisition of dogs, preventing any dangers ensuing from dogs and getting rid of stray or rabid dogs.”