Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 17:3

אילו היה כתוב במחנה מותר לשחטו מחוץ למחנה וזו המצוה תלויה גם בבית המקדש רק בכל מקום שהוא קרוב לירושלים והקרוב ידענו מדברי קבלה כי אם היה המקום רחוק יזבח ויאכל בשר כי כן כתוב ורבים אמרו כי הבשר אסור בגלות ויפרשו בשר ויין לא בא אל פי בשר דג ולא דברו נכונה ואיני רוצה להאריך להשיב עליהם: If the Torah had read, in the camp (v. 3),²That is, if verse 3 had only stated, in the camp. then it would have been permissible to slaughter it³Any one of the animals mentioned in our verse. outside the camp.⁴Hence verse 3 reads, in the camp, or…without the camp. Also, this⁵The law codified in verses 3 and 4. commandment⁶Like many others which precede it. is dependent upon the Holy Temple.⁷It is in effect only when a central sanctuary for the bringing of sacrifices exists. However, this law applies only to any place that is close to Jerusalem.⁸Even when the temple stood, the law applied only to places which were close to Jerusalem. I.E. is interpreting according to the plain meaning of the text. According to the rabbis, our verse speaks of sacrifices; i.e., sacrifices are not to be offered in any place except for the tabernacle or the temple. See Sifra and Rashi. We know how close from the words of tradition,⁹See Kiddishin 57b. for if the place is far, one is permitted to slaughter flesh.¹⁰He is permitted to slaughter an animal for the purpose of eating its flesh without presenting it for an offering. The latter is so, for Scripture states it.¹¹In Deut. 12:21. Many say that it is forbidden to eat flesh in the exile.¹²This was a Karaite opinion. They explain neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth (Dan. 10:3)¹³Daniel, who lived in Babylon, tells us that he refrained from meat and wine while he fasted. This indicates that he ate meat when he did not fast. as referring to the flesh of fish.¹⁴The Karaites explain the word “flesh” in neither came flesh…in my mouth as referring to the flesh of fish, for they maintain that one cannot eat meat outside of the Land of Israel. They did not speak correctly. I do not want to dwell on this and answer them.