Watch-pigs wanted in the West Bank

Jewish settlers living in the West Bank are being asked to trade in their guard dogs for pigs.

The animals, which have been considered unclean in Judaism for thousands of years, are to be used to protect the settlements from attacks by Palestinian militants.

A company that supplies guard dogs to Jewish settlements in the West Bank has asked a number of senior rabbis for Halachic approval to train pigs to guard the settlements.

The company says pigs are better than dogs because they have a stronger sense of smell, and because it believes the fact they are also considered unclean by Islam will discourage Muslim attackers.