Israel advances crocodile plan to stop Palestinian prisoners escaping The Israeli government has stripped Nile crocodiles of their protected status, paving the way for a proposal to build a detention facility for Palestinians surrounded by the reptiles, Israeli media reported on Thursday. Environment Minister Idit Silman signed a decree on Wednesday reclassifying Nile crocodiles as a "specially managed wild animal" - a new legal category that allows the state to keep the animals for security purposes, according to Israeli news site Ynet. In the decree, Silman said Israel's security forces could now keep crocodiles under specific conditions.
According to Ynet, the move went against the advice of the Environment Ministry's legal adviser and environmental groups. The decision follows months of pressure from National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who in December proposed building a prison encircled by crocodiles. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Ben Gvir, who oversees the Israel Prison Service (IPS), said he was inspired by Florida's controversial immigration detention centre, dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz".
Officials at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority had previously argued that crocodiles should only be kept for education and research. The Environment Ministry's legal adviser, Neta Drori, also opposed the plan, saying it lacked a sufficient legal and professional basis. The IPS argued its staff could handle crocodiles because of their experience working with attack dogs, an argument Drori rejected.
Despite that opinion, Silman approved the measure this week. Ben Gvir celebrated the decision on Facebook on Thursday, posting an AI-generated image of himself holding a crocodile on a lead. "Damn terrorist, thinking of trying to escape?
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