Court Rejects Ben Gvir's 'Crazy Idea' to Use Crocodiles as Prison Guards for Palestinians

The Jerusalem District Court has prohibited National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from using crocodiles as prison guards for Palestinian detainees, according to a report by The Jerusalem Post. The court issued the ban following a petition filed by the local animal rights organisation, Let the Animals Live. In response to the ruling, Ben-Gvir claimed that the judges ‘sided with the terrorists’. ‘Once again, in a time of war, the judicial system sides with the terrorists, and thwarts important preventive efforts by the Government of Israel,’ he was quoted as saying by the newspaper. Ben-Gvir was reportedly inspired by the controversial ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ immigration detention centre in Florida. The remote facility, located in the Florida Everglades, is surrounded by dangerous wildlife such as alligators, crocodiles, and pythons that prevent detainees from escaping. Ben-Gvir first proposed the idea in a December meeting with Prison Service chief Kobi Yaakobi, as reported by Channel 13. Last month, the Israeli government revoked the protected status of Nile crocodiles to pave the way for the proposal, reclassifying them as tools for incarceration and deterrence rather than wildlife to be preserved. Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman subsequently reclassified the animals as ‘specially managed wildlife’, allowing the state to keep them for security purposes. Channel 7 Israel reported that the Prison Service had begun visiting zoos to learn how to handle crocodiles.