The Israeli government has taken a legal step that could enable the implementation of a proposal by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to use crocodile-filled waterways around detention facilities holding Palestinian prisoners, according to Israeli media reports.
Israeli Channel 7 reported on Thursday that Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman signed a declaration changing the legal classification of crocodiles to “cared-for wild animals.” According to the report, the reclassification would allow government agencies, including the Israel Prison Service, to keep crocodiles at their facilities under specified conditions.
The report said the amendment removes a legal obstacle that had previously prevented the proposal from moving forward, as crocodiles had been classified as protected wild animals and could not legally be kept outside licensed zoos.
READ: Israeli minister proposes keeping Palestinian detainees in facility ’surrounded by crocodiles’
According to Channel 13, the amendment followed objections from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority to the proposed project, which Israeli media have referred to as a “crocodile prison.”
