{
  "id": 50564,
  "title": "Ben-Gvir barred from using crocodiles to guard terrorists, court announces",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/ben-gvir-barred-from-using-crocodiles-to-guard-terrorists-court",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-02T17:38:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Jerusalem Post",
    "slug": "jerusalem-post",
    "url": "https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-904361"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Jerusalem District Court has denied National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's proposal to use crocodiles to guard terrorists in prisons. The decision came after an animal rights group, Let the Animals Live, filed a petition against the plan. Ben-Gvir responded by accusing the court of siding with terrorists, claiming it was an attempt to thwart Israeli deterrence efforts during a time of war. It was recently announced that Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman has reclassified Nile crocodiles as a \"cultivated wild animal,\" aiming to allow the Israel Prison Service to station them around prisons as a security measure. However, the decision faced opposition from both Silman's ministry and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The idea of using crocodiles as prison guards was reportedly being piloted at Ketziot Prison, but the court's ruling effectively ends the program.",
  "summary": "The court issued an injunction against Ben-Gvir's plan due to a petition by the animal rights organization Let the Animals Live.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}