Israel reclassifies Nile crocodile to clear path for Ben-Gvir's prison moat plan

The proposal

In December 2025, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir proposed housing Palestinian security prisoners in a facility surrounded by crocodile-infested moats. The idea was modelled on the "Alligator Alcatraz" detention centre that had been hastily opened in the Florida Everglades under the Trump administration. Senior prison officials later visited a crocodile farm at Hamat Gader in the occupied Golan Heights to assess the feasibility of the plan.

Regulatory change

On 17 July 2026, Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman reclassified the Nile crocodile from a protected wild animal, which could only be kept for educational and research purposes, to a "tended wild animal." The change allows security authorities to obtain permits to hold the reptiles for other uses. Other crocodile species had previously received the same classification to permit commercial farming for their hides. The reclassification removes the main legal obstacle that had blocked Ben-Gvir's proposal since it was first floated.

Opposition and warnings

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the ministry's own legal adviser had urged Silman not to proceed. They argued that dangerous predators like crocodiles should only be kept for scientific and educational reasons, and that past crocodile breeding in Israel had led to escapes and threats to human life. The legal adviser also noted that the prison service, while experienced with dog units, had no expertise in handling dangerous wild animals.

Although prison service officials said they were aware of and willing to ensure the physical welfare of the animals, based in part on their experience with dog teams, the organisation appears to have no expertise in breeding dangerous wild animals such as crocodiles.

The adviser further pointed out that there is no modern precedent for using crocodiles as a prison security measure, and that a thorough study of the impact on the animals' health would be needed first.

Florida's failed experiment

The Florida facility that inspired the plan was opened in 2025 and became a symbol of President Donald Trump's hardline immigration policy. It was closed prematurely at the end of June 2026 after less than a year of operation, having faced sustained criticism over appalling conditions, technical failures, and high costs. Unlike the Florida swamps, where alligators already lived in the wild, the Negev desert has no natural crocodile habitat.

What happens next

A pilot project is expected to launch at the Ketziot high-security prison in the Negev desert, which holds Palestinian security detainees and Palestinians arrested during the Gaza war. The crocodiles would likely be sourced from the Hamat Gader reserve. Whether the plan will actually be implemented remains uncertain. Ben-Gvir, who is campaigning ahead of autumn elections, has previously pushed for the death penalty for Palestinian militants, rationed water and food for prisoners, and published a video humiliating foreign activists captured while trying to break the Gaza blockade.