Israel's far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir , has cancelled a planned trip to New York next week following calls for his prosecution and plans for protests against his visit, various reports said on Sunday.
Ben-Gvir was expected to lead a ministry delegation to a UN police summit in the city on 7-8 July. Sources in the ministry said it had decided not to attend the event.
This is the second time this month Ben-Gvir has been forced to cancel a trip to the US. The extremist minister had planned to travel to the US for a holiday in June but had difficulties obtaining a visa.
Israeli officials expressed security concerns about activists' plans to protest his visit, as well as potential opposition among New York officials. Pro-Palestine groups staged demonstrations against his visit to the US last year, which triggered violent confrontations between pro-Israel and progressive Jewish groups.
The decision came after human rights groups this week called on federal and state prosecutors to launch criminal investigations into the minister in relation to his alleged involvement in the torture and abuse of Palestinians.
This week, the Hind Rajab Foundation called on the US Department of Justice to arrest and prosecute Ben-Gvir during his visit.
The group said the far-right minister has "used his authority to enact a policy of systematic torture, murder, abuse, and forced displacement" in Palestine.
The foundation also joined forces with the US-based Centre for Constitutional Rights to call on state prosecutors to open a criminal investigation into the minister.
In a letter to New York Attorney-General Letitia James, the rights groups accused Ben-Gvir of enabling acts of torture and abuse against 11 New York residents, including one Palestinian-American and 10 Global Sumud Flotilla activists.
The groups argued that James has the authority to investigate the minister because "a number of New York residents have been harmed by Ben-Gvir’s criminal conduct and because Ben-Gvir may also be engaging in criminal conduct while in New York".
Brad Parker, the centre's associate director of policy, described Ben-Gvir as a "far-right, ultranationalist Israeli politician and hardline Israeli settlement leader" who deploys "extreme racist rhetoric, glorification of violence, and incitement".
More than a dozen Jewish groups had planned to demonstrate alongside pro-Palestine activists at the UN headquarters during Ben-Gvir's visit. Criminal complaint against Israeli soldier in Italy The latest developments come as the Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF) this week said it had filed a criminal complaint with Italy's public prosecutor against an Israeli soldier for alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and acts of genocide in Gaza.
It said it had collected visual evidence against Arik Ben Asulin, of the Israeli military's 749th Combat Engineering Battalion, showing him participating in demolitions.
The foundation said social media posts feature "videos of demolitions and photographs of him handling detonation cables. These materials demonstrate not only his direct involvement in the demolition operations, but also his public endorsement of them."
The Brussels-based group said it believes that Ben Asulin is currently in Italy and called on prosecutors to invoke Italy's universal jurisdiction over international crimes.
“The evidence shows that Ben Asulin did not merely witness the destruction - he participated in it and broadcast it with pride," said Natacha Bracq, HRF's head of litigation.
"His actions formed part of a broader policy carried out by the 749th Battalion to erase entire communities and render Gaza uninhabitable."
The foundation has since 2024 pursued legal action against dozens of Israeli soldiers accused of committing war crimes in Gaza.