Israel's 'Alligator Alcatraz' prison moat plan challenged in the courts

Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's proposal to build a moat around Ketziot Prison and fill it with crocodiles has been challenged in the courts. The plan, which first emerged late last year, has drawn criticism from animal welfare groups and animal rights activists. On Sunday, the Jerusalem District Court issued a temporary injunction preventing the Israel Prison Service (IPS) from deploying Nile crocodiles to the prison.

The facility, located in the Negev Desert near Egypt's border, houses Palestinian prisoners, including those involved in the attacks on October 7, 2023. Ben-Gvir, who oversees Israel's prison system, has since accused the courts of siding with terrorists. The reclassification of Nile crocodiles from a protected species to cultivated animals by Israel's Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman in January allowed the plan to proceed.

However, Let the Animals Live, an animal rights group, appealed to the courts arguing that the reclassification was improper and that using crocodiles at the prison could cause harm to the animals. The injunction, which blocks the transfer of crocodiles to the prison until a final court ruling, has angered Ben-Gvir, who accused the court system of being biased towards terrorists and against the Israeli people.