Key facts
- Human Rights Watch stated that Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's plan for a crocodile-filled moat is 'cartoonishly cruel.'
- The proposed moat is intended to guard a facility holding Palestinian detainees.
- HRW urged the Israeli government to launch independent investigations into alleged torture and ill-treatment of detainees.
- The organization suggested that those responsible for abuses, including at senior levels, should be prosecuted.
Human Rights Watch has labeled Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's proposal to construct a moat filled with crocodiles around a facility housing Palestinian detainees as 'cartoonishly cruel.' Sarah Sanbar, Acting Israel and Palestine Researcher at HRW, stated on X that the Israeli government should prioritize launching independent and transparent investigations into documented allegations of torture and mistreatment of detainees, and prosecute those responsible, rather than investing millions in what she described as 'performative cruelty.'