Israeli Plan for Crocodile Moat for Prison for Palestinians Blocked for Animal Welfare

Truthout is a vital news source and a living history of political struggle. If you think our work is valuable, support us with a donation of any size. An Israeli court has temporarily blocked a plan, cooked up by far right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, to construct a moat full of crocodiles around a notoriously abusive prison that holds Palestinians. The injunction was issued on Sunday against the transfer of crocodiles to the facility in response to a petition filed over concerns that the crocodiles would be harmed or mistreated. Last month, Israeli officials stripped the Nile crocodile of its protected status to pave the way for Ben-Gvir’s plan to surround the Ketziot Prison and torture camp with the animals. Construction swiftly began on the moat as workers started digging the moat around one of the “special wings” inside the camp, Israeli sources said. Ben-Gvir, who presides over Israel’s prisons as national security minister, has said that the idea was inspired by U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Alligator Alcatraz,” the immigration jail in Florida that was shuttered after reports of horrific human rights abuses. The idea has been condemned as another racist way to torture Palestinian prisoners, who have already reportedly faced mutilation and rape by dogs trained by Israeli officials to attack Palestinians being imprisoned in torture camps. Related Story News Analysis | War & Peace “Ceasefire” May Be the Official Headline, But in Gaza, We Face Constant Bombing Being forced to repeatedly search for a place that feels safe when no such place exists is a form of slow death. By Dalia Abu Ramadan , T ruthout August 4, 2026 Truthout It was not concern over human rights abuses that has paused the plan, however. Jerusalem District Court Judge Avraham Rubin issued his temporary injunction because “the expected harm to the crocodiles merit[s] investigation and justif[ies] issuing an order prohibiting the transfer, or any action related to locating or preparing crocodiles for transfer,” he wrote, per Times of Israel . The decision was made in response to a filing by animal welfare group Let the Animals Live, which argued that the change in classification for the crocodile species was done improperly. The organization said that “crocodiles are not weapons, a means of punishment, or props for a political campaign,” and that the injunction will prevent “severe suffering to the animals.” Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority also raised its concerns about the prison plan in a statement, saying that “a large, longevous, non-native predator into the ecosystem could create numerous and varied risks to both Israel’s natural environment and the public.” Ben-Gvir, meanwhile, condemned the move. “We know the terrorists are trembling at the prospect of the alligators’ arrival, but today the court came to their aid,” he said, according to Haaretz . The Israeli minister is known for his racism against Palestinians and abuse of prisoners. In a video that circulated over the weekend, Ben-Gvir met with a prisoner and mocked them for saying that the conditions in the prison were poor. “This is not a hotel,” he told the prisoner, who said that they are not being given proper food and water. The prison exists for detainees “to think about what [they] did,” Ben-Gvir went on, despite the fact that Israel is imprisoning at least 3,300 Palestinians without charges. Important Message: Please Read For 25 years, Truthout has survived by publishing impactful investigative journalism and analysis; distributing full editions 365 days a year; and building a community of readers who support us with small, hard-earned donations. Eighty percent of our $3 million yearly budget comes from small donors alone. Of those, 8,000 readers support us with monthly donations. Back in 2018, when Facebook decided to suppress the circulation of posts made by organizations, thereby cutting readers off from seeing many articles shared by the news organizations they had intentionally decided to follow, Truthout’s total traffic declined by 40 percent, as nearly all of our traffic from that platform disappeared. Now, Google has recently rolled out its AI search bar, providing AI summaries instead of directing readers to our site. Google Search is our single largest source of traffic; it’s the route by which nearly one third of our readers find us. Much like in 2018, a shocking 40 percent of our Google traffic has disappeared overnight. It will not be easy for Truthout to shoulder this blow. Nor will it be easy for our peers and collaborators — news sites that depend on traffic and aren’t bankrolled by large corporations. If you can support Truthout with a donation today, you can help us resist the AI onslaught. Please give today. Share Share via Facebook Facebook Circle Icon Share via Bluesky Bluesky Circle Icon Share via Flipboard Flipboard Circle Icon Share via Mail Mail Circle Icon Share via Print More Share via Threads Share via Reddit Reddit Cirlce Icon Share via Pocket Pocket Circle Icon Share via Linkedin LinkedIn Circle Icon Share via Twitter Twitter Circle Icon Republish Republish This Article for Free Republishing Guidelines This article is licensed under Creative Commons ( CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 ), and you are free to share and republish under the following terms: Required: Required: You must credit Truthout and retain our links, as follows: "This article was originally published by Truthout." Required: You must preserve the article exactly as it appears on our site. You cannot edit, shorten or otherwise alter the content. Required: You must clearly credit the author(s) and retain their byline. Prohibited: You cannot republish our photographs or illustrations without specific permission. Prohibited: You cannot use this work for commercial purposes. Article HTML Republish HTML code for copying <h1>Israeli Plan for Crocodile Moat for Prison for Palestinians Blocked for Animal Welfare</h1> By Sharon Zhang This article was originally published by <a href src="https://truthout.org/articles/israeli-plan-for-crocodile-moat-for-prison-for-palestinians-blocked-for-animal-welfare/">Truthout</a> A judge temporarily blocked the plan over concerns about “the expected harm to the crocodiles.” An Israeli court has temporarily blocked a plan, cooked up by far right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, to construct a moat full of crocodiles around a notoriously abusive prison that holds Palestinians. The injunction <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/court-freezes-transfer-of-crocodiles-to-prison-moat-putting-ben-gvirs-plan-on-hold/">was issued on Sunday</a> against the transfer of crocodiles to the facility in response to a petition filed over concerns that the crocodiles would be harmed or mistreated. Last month, Israeli officials stripped the Nile crocodile <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-politics/2026-07-19/ty-article/.premium/israel-reclassifies-nile-crocodile-to-facilitate-ben-gvirs-alligator-alcatraz/0000019f-7a43-d2da-a99f-7e5f58770000">of its protected status</a> to pave the way for Ben-Gvir’s plan to surround the Ketziot Prison <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/05/torture-abuse-and-humiliation-palestinians-on-israeli-prison-hell">and torture camp</a> with the animals. <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/report-construction-already-underway-on-ben-gvirs-prison-crocodile-moat/">Construction swiftly</a> began on the moat as workers started digging the moat around one of the “special wings” inside the camp, Israeli sources said. Ben-Gvir, who presides over Israel’s prisons as national security minister, has said that the idea was inspired by U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Alligator Alcatraz,” the immigration jail in Florida that was <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/12/estados-unidos-nuevas-investigaciones-revelan-violaciones-de-derechos-humanos-en-los-centros-de-detencion-de-alligator-alcatraz-y-krome-en-florida/">shuttered after reports</a> of horrific human rights abuses. The idea has <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/israel-animal-warfare-ben-gvir-crocodiles-palestinians">been condemned</a> as another racist way to torture Palestinian prisoners, who have already reportedly faced mutilation and rape by dogs trained by Israeli officials to attack Palestinians being imprisoned in torture camps. It was not concern over human rights abuses that has paused the plan, however. Jerusalem District Court Judge Avraham Rubin issued his temporary injunction because “the expected harm to the crocodiles merit[s] investigation and justif[ies] issuing an order prohibiting the transfer, or any action related to locating or preparing crocodiles for transfer,” he wrote, per Times of Israel. The decision was made in response to a filing by animal welfare group Let the Animals Live, which argued that the change in classification for the crocodile species was done improperly. The organization said that “crocodiles are not weapons, a means of punishment, or props for a political campaign,” and that the injunction will prevent “severe suffering to the animals.” Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority also raised its concerns about the prison plan in a statement, saying that “a large, longevous, non-native predator into the ecosystem could create numerous and varied risks to both Israel’s natural environment and the public.” Ben-Gvir, meanwhile, condemned the move. “We know the terrorists are trembling at the prospect of the alligators’ arrival, but today the court came to their aid,” he said, according to Haaretz. The Israeli minister is known for his racism against Palestinians and abuse of prisoners. In a video that circulated over the weekend, Ben-Gvir met with <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/8/2/ben-gvir-mocks-palestinian-detainee-over-prison-conditions#flips-6402632232112:0">a prisoner and mocked</a> them for saying that the conditions in the prison were poor. “This is not a hotel,” he told the prisoner, who said that they are not being given proper food and water. The prison exists for detainees “to think about what [they] did,” Ben-Gvir went on, <a href="https://www.btselem.org/administrative_detention/statistics">despite</a> the fact that Israel is imprisoning at least 3,300 Palestinians without charges. <hr> This <a href="https://truthout.org/articles/israeli-plan-for-crocodile-moat-for-prison-for-palestinians-blocked-for-animal-welfare/">article</a> was originally published by <a href="https://truthout.org">Truthout</a> and is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/" rel="license">Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)</a>. Please maintain all links and credits in accordance with our <a href="https://truthout.org/republishing-policy">republishing guidelines</a>. Copy this HTML code to republish the article on your website Close Copy HTML This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) , and you are free to share and republish under the terms of the license. Sharon Zhang Sharon Zhang is a news writer at Truthout covering international affairs, politics, and labor. She has a master’s degree in environmental studies. She can be found on Twitter and Bluesky . Truthout

Read the original article ↗