Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir is planning to skip a UN police chiefs conference in New York this week amid legal pressure over his prison policies and “involvement in war crimes,” Israeli media reported.
Ben-Gvir’s office has yet to confirm the cancellation of the visit, the Jerusalem Post reported on Saturday.
The report came a day after the Israeli daily Haaretz, citing ministry officials, said the decision was made amid planned demonstrations against Ben-Gvir’s visit and growing calls by human rights groups for his investigation and arrest.
Earlier in the week, the Hind Rajab Foundation, a Belgium-based group known for filing legal cases against Israeli soldiers and officials around the world, urged US authorities to detain and prosecute Ben-Gvir over his prison crimes.
Ben-Gvir was scheduled to attend the UN Chiefs of Police Summit in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday.
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Authority abuse
The Hind Rajab Foundation said it and the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights filed a complaint with the US Justice Department and urged New York Attorney General Letitia James to launch an investigation.
The foundation said Ben-Gvir has “used his authority to enact a policy of systematic torture, murder, abuse and forced displacement,” particularly within the Israel Prisons Service, which falls under his oversight.
