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2026-08-12 Israel-Palestine-Jordan
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'Spare the reptiles.' Israel spares crocodiles, but not Hamas captives
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Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited
by Leonid Tsukanov
[Regnum] The Jerusalem District Court has temporarily banned the construction of crocodile ditches around the high-security wings of Ktziot Prison,
| …previously in our archives as Ketziot Prison … |
which holds Hamas prisoners.
True, the noble impulse was dictated not by concern for the safety of Palestinians, but by complaints from animal rights activists about “excessively dangerous conditions” for the guard reptiles.
And although a final decision on the issue has not yet been made, supporters and opponents of the crocodile guard have already engaged in fierce battles over the right to interpret the situation.
"ISRAELI ALCATRAZ"
The Ktziot military-political prison, which officially changed its name to the more euphonious Lavi ("Young Lion") in 2026, is known far beyond the borders of Israel.
Situated in a village near the Egyptian border, it traces its roots to the field camps for prisoners of war during the First Intifada, which were established in these areas in the late 1980s.
The institution has been popularly nicknamed "Israeli Alcatraz"—a nod to the infamous American prison. And for good reason.
The three-section complex, with a total area of approximately 400,000 square meters, is divided into dozens of individual holding units, where contact between inmates is minimized. The prison perimeter is equipped with several lines of fencing, guard towers, surveillance systems, and other security equipment.
| To be fair, this is where they house the worst of the worst of the Palestinian terrorists, including those picked up in Israel following 10/7 and those captured instead of killed in Gaza. |
In addition to being prohibited from group outings, Ktziot Lavi prisoners are also severely restricted from contacting their families and meeting with their lawyers in person (interaction is permitted only in the presence of Israeli agents and for no more than 15 minutes per month). Most prisoners are also denied the right to appeal their sentences or to be released on parole.
During its existence, the complex was demonstratively closed several times (for example, as part of the implementation of the Oslo Accords in 1996), but each time it was again converted into a detention center for “especially dangerous” Palestinians detained by the army or special services of the Jewish state.
Among others, those who passed through the prison's stages were the former "Sheriff of Jenin" Zakaria Zubeidi,
| …the former Jenin chief of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades… |
the high-ranking Hamas commander Muhammad Mardawi, …also spelt Mahmoud Mardawi…
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and the pediatrician Hussam Abu Safiya, whom the Israelis call "the chief physician of Hamas hospitals."
| …. and a colonel in the Hamas Medical Military Corps. |
Even after the facility came under Israeli Prison Service control in 2006 (and was formally converted into a maximum-security civilian prison), its "Palestinian wings" were never empty. Moreover, with the departure of the Israeli military, the proportion of Palestinian prisoners increased from 82% to 95%. This is because Lavi began to house not only "irreconcilables" but also anyone suspected of working for Hamas and other unfriendly Palestinian organizations.
Furthermore, there is a widespread belief that key Palestinian underground leaders, Marwan Barghouti and Ahmad Saadat, are secretly being held in the "Israeli Alcatraz." Israel refuses to disclose their location even to the Americans.
INNOVATIVE APPROACH
However, despite the strictness of the regime at Lavi, there were many people in Israel who considered the level of control at the institution insufficient.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir championed this position. He believed the prison was inadequately secured, and that those held there should be terrified of the very thought of escaping, as after 2023, a large number of Hamas and jihadist fighters and commanders were sent to Ktziot Lavi. Many of them had nothing left to lose, meaning they were far less afraid of the heavily armed prison guards than ordinary prisoners.
Ben-Gvir wanted to take collective fear to a new, literally animalistic level. And nothing would instill fear in Israel's enemies more than dozens of crocodiles prowling day and night in a deep, steep ditch.
Ben-Gvir first voiced this idea at a meeting with the leadership of the Israel Prison Service in late 2025. The controversial minister justified his proposal by arguing that crocodiles would become a "serious obstacle" to Palestinian prisoners attempting to escape.
This is especially true for those held in high-security areas, which are considered particularly dangerous by the Israeli prison system. Ben-Gvir also casually mentioned that he was inspired by the experience of American prison guards in Florida, where natural pools inhabited by alligators created an additional obstacle for escape-prone prisoners.
The Minister of National Security failed to convince his interlocutors. Most officials considered the idea too dangerous and vetoed it. Furthermore, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority opposed the initiative.
The agency stated that the relocation of a large non-native predator could pose threats to both the ecosystem and humans. As a result of the complex opposition, the crocodile guard project stalled, and Ben-Gvir himself harbored a grudge against his opponents.
However, in early July 2026, fate dealt him an unexpected gift. Environment Minister Idit Silman suddenly decided to change the legal status of Nile crocodiles, which were planned for conservation use.
Crocodiles were reclassified as farmed wild animals, lifting the ban on their breeding in captivity, as well as their use "for commercial, public, and other purposes."
Ben-Gvir seized on this innovation and immediately announced the construction of a defensive ditch around Lavi with a total length of more than 170 meters and a width of fifteen meters.
However, this time, the Minister of National Security's triumph lasted only a few days. Israeli activists intervened, specifically the animal rights organization Let the Animals Live. They filed a class action lawsuit, claiming that proponents of the crocodile-as-prisoners idea had not consulted with experts and, in pursuit of aesthetic appeal, had endangered a vulnerable species.
CROCODILES OF DISCORD
The Jerusalem District Court, which heard the case, quickly sided with the animal rights activists.
Judge Avraham Rubin concluded that the arguments regarding potential harm to the animals deserved careful consideration, and therefore, until a final decision on the case was made, the transport of crocodiles onto the facility's grounds was prohibited.
The decision apparently came as a surprise to Ben-Gvir. Following the verdict's publication, the minister launched into an angry tirade against the "liberal counter-revolution" and the "traitors entrenched in the courts," who, in his view, were hindering the government's efforts to reform the prison system and adapt it to the challenges of the times. Ben-Gvir also declared that he would see his project through, "no matter the cost."
The Israeli opposition also took the opportunity to attack the Minister of National Security, accusing him of squandering public funds and possessing manic tendencies.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also received a dose of criticism ; according to opponents, he himself has nurtured radicals within the government and does not even think of stopping them.
Regardless, landscaping work in the Lavi area continues despite the ban. Moreover, judging by the latest satellite images, Ben Gvir has dispatched even more excavators and workers to the area following the Jerusalem court's verdict.
Apparently, the Minister of National Security still believes that the crocodile guard project he developed can still be implemented in some form. Or at least the foundation for it can be laid.
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Posted by badanov 2026-08-12 00:00||
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