Israeli custom officials seized 4,000 dolls dressed as Palestinian stone-throwers in Haifa on Tuesday that were allegedly being transported from the United Arab Emirates to the Palestinian Authority.
The faces of the dolls were covered in the trademark keffiyah that many Palestinian protesters wear while throwing stones at Israeli forces.
The Palestinian dolls were also inscribed with slogans such as "Jerusalem is ours" and "Jerusalem, here we come", The Jerusalem Post reported.
"What's your favorite toy? A teddy bear? A Barbie? These are the toys Arab leaders send to Palestinian kidsm," The Israeli Defence Forces said on its official Twitter handle and shared a photo of one of the seized dolls.
The dolls were being smuggled in falsely labelled containers when they came under investigation at the Haifa customs.
The dolls had reportedly been made in the UAE, the JPost article said.
"These dolls were making their way to the Palestinian Authority with one clear purpose. And that was to poison the minds of innocent children," Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely was quoted saying on Tuesday.
Tensions between Palestinians and Israel have escalated in recent months, with violent protests seen over the Al Aqsa mosque dispute. Several Palestinians have been gunned down while attempting to stab Israeli defence forces and citizens in recent months.
The series of Palestinian stabbings and attacks have been called as a third intifada (uprising) in the region.
