TEL AVIV, August 2. /TASS/. A court in Israel has prohibited National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to use crocodiles to secure terrorists in prisons, The Jerusalem Post reported.

According to the newspaper, the Jerusalem District Court issued this ruling based on a motion from the animal rights organization Let the Animals Live.

Meanwhile, Ben-Gvir accused the court of siding with terrorists. "Once again, in a time of war, the legal system sides with the terrorists, thwarting important steps for Israeli deterrence," he was quoted as saying. "We know that the terrorists are worried about the arrival of the crocodiles, but today the court came to their aid."

The newspaper noted that pressure has been exerted on the Israel Nature and Parks Authority for several months ago to allow the National Security Ministry to place crocodiles in moats around prisons holding inmates convicted for security-related crimes. The pilot project was expected to kick off at Ketziot Prison in the Negev desert in southern Israel.