Ben-Gvir cancels UN police summit trip amid legal pressure

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has canceled his planned attendance at a UN police chiefs conference scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in New York amid mounting legal pressure over his prison policies and alleged involvement in war crimes, Israeli media reported.

Legal complaints filed

The Hind Rajab Foundation, a Belgium-based rights group, and the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights filed a complaint with the US Justice Department urging Attorney General Letitia James to investigate Ben-Gvir before his scheduled arrival, according to the groups. "The #HindRajabFoundation welcomes reports that Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir has canceled his NY visit following legal action by HRF and the Center for Constitutional Rights," the organization said on X on Saturday, adding: "Israeli political and military leaders have traveled the world expecting impunity. That expectation is beginning to erode."

The groups cited 11 alleged cases involving New York residents, including 10 individuals on aid flotillas bound for Gaza who were reportedly subjected to torture after detention by Israeli authorities, alongside a Palestinian American allegedly subjected to starvation in an Israeli prison. Ben-Gvir has "used his authority to enact a policy of systematic torture, murder, abuse and forced displacement," particularly within the Israel Prisons Service, the foundation stated.

Pattern of canceled visits

This marks the second US trip Ben-Gvir has abandoned within a month, following the cancellation of a private visit due to reported visa difficulties, Haaretz said, adding that unlike that trip, the minister was not expected to face entry issues for the UN conference as he was due to lead an official Israeli delegation. The Israeli war on Gaza, launched in October 2023 with US backing, has devastated nearly 90 percent of the enclave's civilian infrastructure and killed more than 73,000 Palestinians.