“For fear of arrest.” Ben Gvir cancels his visit to New York | news

Israeli media reports revealed that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir canceled a scheduled visit to New York City for fear of being subjected to legal prosecution and demands for his arrest.

Yesterday, Saturday, Haaretz newspaper said that Ben Gvir canceled a scheduled trip to New York to participate in the United Nations Police Chiefs Summit next week, in light of fears of protests led by human rights organizations and increasing pressure to prosecute and investigate him against the backdrop of his positions and policies towards the Palestinians.

The newspaper added that security and political estimates inside Israel warned of the possibility of the far-right minister being exposed to legal pressure and protest movements during the visit, which prompted him to refrain from participating in the conference.

For its part, the Jerusalem Post newspaper reported that the decision to cancel the visit came amid legal movements led by the “Hind Rajab” human rights organization, based in Belgium, which submitted complaints to the American authorities against Ben Gvir against the backdrop of his policies related to Palestinian prisoners.

According to the newspaper, the organization requested the US Department of Justice to prosecute him, and also called on the New York State Attorney General to open an official investigation against him, stressing that it will continue to press for legal measures to be taken against him.

Ben Gvir’s office did not confirm, according to reports, that the cancellation of the visit was a result of these pressures or because of fears of arrest, and did not provide an official explanation of the reasons for the decision.

Ben Gvir was banned from entering France and Ireland last May, and several European countries are calling for sanctions to be imposed on him. Previous reports indicated that requests were submitted to the International Criminal Court to issue a warrant for his arrest, along with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity against the Palestinians.