An Israeli court has paused a proposal to have Nile crocodiles guard the perimeter of Ketziot prison, the largest detention facility in the country. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was the most vocal supporter of the plan.
The plan, which may sound more like the layout of a medieval fortress than a contemporary prison, involved surrounding the Ketziot Prison in the country’s southern region with moats full of crocodiles.
The Jerusalem District Court on 3 August ordered the government to halt the project while judges examine whether any reptiles can be deployed, The Times of Israel reported. According to the newspaper, the National Security Ministry, the body in charge of prisons, has committed $7 million to the construction works.
The court was responding to a legal case brought by the Israeli wildlife conservation group Let the Animals Live. It argues that the crocodiles are a protected species and should not be used for prison security. The government must now respond to the court before the project can move forward.
US role model
Ben Gvir insisted that the crocodile-filled moat would make it harder for inmates to escape from Ketziot, one of the largest high-security prisons housing Palestinian detainees. Israeli media suggested the concept drew inspiration from the Alligator Alcatraz, an immigration detention centre in South Florida.
The facility, closed in June this year, was made of large tents containing rows of bunk beds surrounded by chain-link cages. According to US media, the air conditioning could shut off in Florida’s sweltering heat, forcing detainees to spend days without access to showers or prescribed medication.
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