Israeli Right Wing Minister Proposes Crocodile-Surrounded Prisons for Palestinians

Itamar Ben-Gvir. (Twitter/@itamarbengvir)

JAKARTA - Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has put forward the idea of establishing a crocodile-surrounded detention facility to hold Palestinian prisoners, local media reported on Sunday.

"The Israeli Prison Service is examining an unusual proposal submitted by the Minister of National Security (Itamar Ben-Gvir), calling for the establishment of a detention facility for security prisoners surrounded by crocodiles to prevent escape attempts," Channel 13 said, quoted by Anadolu (23/12).

According to the channel, Ben-Gvir, who heads the right-wing Jewish Power party, presented his proposal during a situation assessment meeting he held last week with the head of the Israel Prison Service, Kobi Yaakobi.

The proposed site is located near the Hamat Gader area in northern Israel, near the occupied Syrian Golan Heights and the border with Jordan, and includes crocodile farms and zoos.

The proposal comes as Israel's Knesset is expected to vote in the coming days on a bill introduced by Ben-Gvir, to execute Palestinian prisoners accused by Israel of planning or taking part in attacks against it.

The Knesset, the parliament's highest authority body, approved the bill on first reading on November 11. The bill must pass second and third readings to become law.

Israel currently holds more than 9,300 Palestinian prisoners, including women and children, amid reports of torture, starvation and medical neglect that have claimed the lives of many, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights reports.

Violations against Palestinian detainees have increased during Israel's genocidal Gaza war, which has killed more than 70,900 people, mostly women and children, and injured nearly 171,200 others since October 2023.