Hebrew media: Ben Gvir cancels New York visit amid fear of arrest
Israeli media reported on Saturday that far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir canceled a scheduled trip to New York this week to attend a United Nations summit of police chiefs, fearing legal prosecution and arrest over his positions, policies, and practices against Palestinians.
Haaretz reported that Ben-Gvir “canceled his visit to New York to participate in the UN police chiefs’ summit, fearing protests against him by rights groups and growing demands for his arrest and investigation.” The newspaper added that “the decision to cancel the visit came after internal security and political assessments indicating that Ben-Gvir might face protests, in addition to legal pressures related to calls for his prosecution over his stances and policies.”
For its part, the Jerusalem Post reported that Ben-Gvir canceled his participation in the police chiefs’ conference scheduled in New York this week, amid reports of legal pressures that may have underpinned the decision. The newspaper cited the Belgian-based rights organization “Hind Rajab,” stating it “was behind the cancellation of the visit after filing legal complaints in the United States against Ben-Gvir over his policies regarding Palestinian prisoners.”
According to the newspaper, the organization “submitted a request to the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute him, and also urged the New York State Attorney General to open a formal investigation into his conduct.” The newspaper further quoted the organization as saying that “accountability is no longer theoretical, and that it intends to continue pressuring U.S. authorities to take legal action” against Ben-Gvir.
On the other hand, Ben-Gvir’s office did not confirm that the cancellation of the visit was due to these pressures or legal concerns, without providing an official explanation for the decision.
Ben-Gvir was scheduled to participate in an international conference bringing together police leaders from around the world in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.
Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, is considered one of the most controversial figures both domestically and internationally.
Notably, Ben-Gvir was barred from entering France and Ireland in late May last year, following the publication of a video showing the mistreatment of detained activists from the “Flotilla of Resistance,” who were shown kneeling with their hands bound after being intercepted at sea and held in custody in southern Israel, sparking international condemnation.
Several countries, including France, Spain, and Italy, called for European sanctions against him, while judicial authorities in both Italy and France announced they had opened investigations against him on charges of torturing activists.
In May last year, the British website Middle East Eye reported that a request had been submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue a secret arrest warrant against Ben-Gvir and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Calls from Palestinian and international rights groups for the issuance of an arrest warrant against Ben-Gvir have also intensified, following his repeated inflammatory statements against Palestinian prisoners, culminating in his initiation of a Knesset (parliament) bill to execute prisoners.
During Israel’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip, Ben-Gvir frequently incited against Palestinians in Gaza and endorsed calls for their forced displacement.
On November 21, 2024, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in Gaza.
With U.S. support, Israel launched a genocidal war on Gaza on October 8, 2023, which has resulted in more than 73,000 killed and over 172,000 injured Palestinians, mostly children and women, and destroyed 90 percent of civilian infrastructure.
