WASHINGTON (TNND) — An Israeli court blocked the transfer of crocodiles to a moat around a prison holding Palestinians, temporarily putting the national security minister’s plan on hold.
The Jerusalem District Court on Sunday issued a temporary injunction freezing the transfer of crocodiles to Ketziot Prison after the Let the Animals Live animal welfare group filed a petition, the Times of Israel reported.
The group requested that crocodiles be reclassified as a protected species, arguing that the government didn’t have the authority to implement the plan and that Environmental Minister Idit Silman had ignored the professional opinions of legal advisers and the Nature and Parks Authority.
Silman last month reclassified the Nile crocodile as a “tended wild animal,” allowing their use at detention centers.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir devised the plan to introduce the crocodiles to Ketziot Prison, a maximum-security jail in southern Israel that holds Palestinian prisoners.
On Sunday, Judge Avraham Rubin wrote in his ruling that “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.”
Rubin ordered that crocodiles not be transferred to the prison until a final court ruling is issued, and gave Silman, Ben Gvir, and the Israel Prison Service until Wednesday to respond to the petition.
Israel’s nature and parks authority previously said the proposal was impossible because wild animals are only allowed to be held for educational and research purposes.
“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,” the agency told the Times last month.
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,” the Nature and Parks Authority added.
Ben Gvir’s office confirmed that digging for the moat has begun, saying: “Whoever thought this was a gimmick was mistaken.”
“The Prison Service is all set. The plan exists in the finest detail, from the maintenance and care of the crocodiles to the crocodiles’ resting cells,” his office added.
The National Security Ministry said it has budgeted NIS 21 million ($7 million) to create the moats.
The prison will be modeled after Alligator Alcatraz, the U.S. immigration detention facility that closed in June.
Alligator Alcatraz was opened in July 2025 on an abandoned airstrip surrounded by an alligator-infested swamp. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams ordered the facility to shut down operations over environmental concerns.