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Court freezes transfer of crocodiles to prison moat, putting Ben Gvir’s plan on hold
🇵🇸 Palestine /Crime & Justice

Court freezes transfer of crocodiles to prison moat, putting Ben Gvir’s plan on hold

From Times of Israel · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • A court has temporarily halted the transfer of Nile crocodiles to a prison moat in Israel.
  • The plan by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to use crocodiles as a security measure at Ketziot Prison was challenged by an animal rights group.
  • The court has given the state until Wednesday to respond to the petition, citing concerns about the crocodiles' welfare and potential risks.

A plan by Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to surround Ketziot Prison with Nile crocodiles has been put on hold by the Jerusalem District Court.

The claims regarding the expected harm to the crocodiles merit investigation and justify issuing an order prohibiting the transfer, or any action related to locating or preparing crocodiles for transfer.

— Judge Avraham RubinExplaining the court's decision to issue a temporary injunction against the transfer of crocodiles.

The court issued a temporary injunction freezing the transfer of the deadly reptiles after the animal rights group "Let the Animals Live" filed a petition. The group argues that Environmental Minister Idit Silman ignored professional opinions and legal advice when she reclassified the Nile crocodile from a protected species to a "tended" wild animal, enabling the plan.

The Nature and Parks Authority found no professional or scientific basis anywhere in the world for bringing crocodiles into a detention facility for use as a security measure.

— Nature and Parks AuthorityStatement to The Times of Israel regarding the lack of precedent for using crocodiles as a security measure.

Judge Avraham Rubin stated that the claims regarding potential harm to the crocodiles "merit investigation" and justified prohibiting any action related to their transfer. The court has ordered that no crocodiles be moved to the prison until a final ruling is made, and has given the relevant ministers and the Israel Prison Service until Wednesday to submit their responses.

Introducing “a large, longevous, non-native predator into the ecosystem could create numerous and varied risks to both Israel’s natural environment and the public.”

— Nature and Parks AuthorityWarning about the potential environmental and public safety risks of introducing crocodiles.

The decision to reclassify the crocodiles, despite protests from the Nature and Parks Authority and other nature organizations, has been described as legally questionable. These organizations have warned of risks to the animals, the environment, and even prisoners and staff. The Nature and Parks Authority has stated there is no global precedent for using crocodiles in such a manner for security, warning of risks to Israel's natural environment and public safety.

Whoever thought this was a gimmick was mistaken.

— Itamar Ben Gvir's officeConfirming that the digging for the moat is underway and dismissing skepticism about the plan.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Times of Israel. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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