Ben Gvir seeks to deter security detainees... with crocodiles
- Ben Gvir is working on legal amendments that would allow the transfer of predators to the perimeter of Ketziot Prison.
- The Environment Minister has succeeded in reclassifying crocodiles as “wild animals bred for security purposes.”
In an AI-generated image, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is seen holding a crocodile, with the caption: “Are you thinking of trying to escape? Think again.” Journalist Gideon Levy described him as “a settler with a rich criminal record, a real gangster, and the person in charge of the detention system.”
In this context, Haaretz reported that the proposal to use crocodiles as part of the security perimeter around Ketziot Prison, which houses security detainees including so-called “elite” Hamas operatives involved in the October 7, 2023 attacks, has sparked widespread debate in Israel after being introduced through a legal amendment.
Sources familiar with the matter stated that Ben Gvir and Environment Minister Idit Silman have recently pushed forward a legal amendment that would remove crocodiles from the list of protected wild animals and reclassify them as domesticated animals, thereby enabling the Prisons Authority to acquire them and place them around the facility.
Ben Gvir explained that the idea was inspired by a model in the United States, pointing to a prison facility in Florida located near areas inhabited by crocodiles, citing it as an example of using the natural environment as a security deterrent.
However, the idea faced criticism from professional bodies. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority affirmed that there is no sufficient professional basis to approve the breeding or detention of crocodiles within security facilities. It added that the decision was not based on professional studies proving the efficacy of using these animals for facility protection, warning of the absence of necessary assessments regarding the feasibility of implementing the project.
Officials in the Authority noted a discrepancy between the American model cited by Ben Gvir and the Israeli plan. The facility in Florida is located near an existing crocodile reserve, whereas the Israeli project would require establishing a new reserve and transferring crocodiles from other sites within Israel.
Last month, the Legal Advisor to the Ministry of Environmental Protection sent a letter to Silman stating that the available professional evidence and facts do not justify proceeding with the project in the manner the minister desires.
The advisor added that there are no known professional precedents for using crocodiles as a means of guarding modern prisons, contrary to claims by the Prisons Authority that such measures had been used in the United States and South America.
She clarified that the experience in the United States was short-lived and quickly discontinued, and that it took place in an area where crocodiles already exist in the wild; therefore, there is no logical basis for comparison.
Despite the support of the National Security and Environment Ministers for the proposal, relevant authorities remain skeptical about the feasibility of implementing the plan to establish a crocodile reserve around Ketziot Prison, amid calls for extensive professional testing before taking any practical steps in this regard.
The proposal comes amid ongoing debate in Israel regarding measures to strengthen security at facilities housing security detainees. However, using predators as a security measure represents an unconventional step that has drawn both attention and widespread criticism.
In his scathing article on the crocodile plan, Levy, writing in Haaretz, describes Ben Gvir as “a sadist who longs to see Palestinian blood, literally, with his own eyes, and wants all of us to see it—fresh, cheap blood flowing like water and absorbed into the belly of the crocodile.”
- The death penalty for Palestinians, which Ben Gvir promotes, and which Levy sees as the beginning of public executions in city squares, where corpses would be left hanging for days “until they rot.”
- The treatment of detainees, which Levy described as “revengeful and unbelievably cruel,” with hundreds of Palestinians held blindfolded and handcuffed for months.
According to Levy’s analysis, Ben Gvir believes that “there are no innocents in Gaza, nor even in Europe,” considering that “all of Gaza is Hamas. This all-encompassing perception, which erases any distinction between civilian and combatant, is the ideological foundation that justifies any atrocities committed against Palestinians, turning mass massacres into legitimate military operations.”
He adds, “According to opinion polls, the majority of Israelis support these massacres (in Gaza) and even look forward to implementing the deportation plan that may follow.”
