Key facts
- The Hind Rajab Foundation and Center for Constitutional Rights requested a criminal investigation into Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
- The groups cited alleged crimes under the New York Penal Code, including incitement to genocide and furthering policies of apartheid.
- Ben-Gvir is scheduled to attend a United Nations conference in Manhattan next week.
- The organizations also urged the Attorney General to meet with alleged victims of Ben-Gvir.
- HRF proposed an 'Atrocity Crimes Accountability Task Force' within the criminal justice division.
The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), in partnership with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), has formally requested that New York State Attorney General Letitia James initiate a criminal investigation into Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The request comes ahead of Ben-Gvir's expected attendance at the Chiefs of Police Summit in Manhattan from July 7-8.
HRF and CCR allege that Ben-Gvir has committed at least nine crimes under the New York Penal Code, citing his rhetoric against Palestinians and Muslims, his distribution of gun permits to Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, and what they describe as "direct incitement to genocide" in Gaza. The organizations are also urging James to meet with alleged victims of Ben-Gvir, including a Palestinian American who claims to have experienced starvation and torture in Israeli prison, and participants of the Global Sumud Flotillas subjected to abuse.
Jake Romm, US representative for HRF, stated that the victims are New Yorkers and deserve legal protection, emphasizing the Attorney General's obligation to pursue justice. HRF has proposed the creation of an "Atrocity Crimes Accountability Task Force" within the criminal justice division specifically for victims of Israeli officials and state policies.
The letter notes that James' office operates independently, but her alliance with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, an outspoken critic of Israel, could create a more favorable environment for the request. Romm suggested that political will in New York is stronger, referencing the impact of stances on Palestine in recent elections.
The article also mentions that Ben-Gvir was previously sanctioned by the Biden administration for encouraging settler violence, a move that was later reversed by the Trump administration. CCR, described as a progressive legal advocacy non-profit, has a history of representing pro-Palestine students targeted by the Trump administration. HRF is a two-year-old organization that has previously filed cases against Israeli officials and soldiers accused of complicity in alleged genocide in Gaza.