Florida’s Failed ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Inspires Israeli Crocodile Clink

Israel is moving forward with a plan to surround prisons holding Palestinian security detainees with Nile crocodiles after Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman reclassified the reptiles as “cultivated wild animals” to clear the legal path for their use.The initiative was first proposed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in December, inspired by the United States’ “Alligator Alcatraz” — a former detention facility built in Florida’s Everglades, about 50 miles from Miami to house migrants destined to be deported. Mr. Ben-Gvir raised the idea during consultations with Israel Prison Service Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi, after which senior prison officials toured the crocodile farm at Hamat Gader in northern Israel as part of a preliminary assessment, Ynet reported. A follow-up “learning visit,” led by the deputy commissioner, took place late last week.The plan initially hit a legal wall. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority concluded the proposal was not feasible under existing regulations, noting that wild animals may only be kept for purposes such as education and research.“We need to protect them, not have them protect us. That is not the spirit of the law,” officials told Mr. Ben-Gvir and Mr. Silman, according to Ynet.To circumvent this, Mr. Silman reclassified the Nile crocodile, transferring oversight of the animals to security bodies, including the Israel Prison Service. The regulation, signed into law last week, stipulates that crocodiles may be bred provided they are “held by a security body under conditions determined by the Director [of the Nature and Parks Authority] to prevent their release into the wild.”Israeli media report that Ketziot Prison in southern Israel — which holds many Hamas militants captured following the October 7, 2023 attack — is the likely site for a pilot program.Mr. Ben-Gvir has been vocal about the plan’s deterrent value, particularly following recent hostage release negotiations, which he argues have increased inmates’ motivation to escape.“Are you thinking of attempting to escape? Think again,” Mr. Ben-Gvir wrote on social media, alongside an AI-generated image of himself holding a crocodile on a leash.He has also addressed the cost directly. “A small crocodile costs $8,000 and a large one costs $20,000,” he said. “I told him, ‘Whatever budget is needed, I’m giving it for this.'”The proposal was initially “met with ridicule by several officers” at the Israel Prison Service, Channel 13 reported. Mr. Ben-Gvir, however, remained undeterred, claiming that “the terrorists are already terrified of the idea.”

Florida’s Failed ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Inspires Israeli Crocodile Clink

More from the New York Sun

Electricity Prices Have Surged 18 Percent Since Trump Took Office Despite His Promise to Cut Them in Half

The New 5-A-Day? Heart Docs Say Up to Five Coffees Is Fine

As War Intensifies, Iran Steels the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas

A Legal Victory for ‘America’s Rifle’

Date Set for Trump’s Bid To Resurrect Troubled Prosecutions Against James Comey and Letitia James

Britain’s New Prime Minister Promises the Panacea of a ‘Ten-Year Plan’ That Would Move the Country to the Left

FDA Says False-Positive Test Doesn’t Clear Taylor Farms Lettuce as Source of Cyclospora Outbreak

Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger