JERUSALEM/ Saeed Amouri/ AA (Anadolu Agency)

Israeli media reported Saturday that extremist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir canceled a planned trip to New York this week to attend a UN police chiefs summit, fearing legal prosecution and arrest over his positions, policies, and practices against Palestinians.

Haaretz newspaper reported that Ben-Gvir "canceled his visit to New York for the UN police chiefs summit, fearing protests against him by rights groups and growing calls for his arrest and investigation."

It added that "the decision to cancel the visit came after internal security and political assessments indicated the possibility of Ben-Gvir facing protests, in addition to legal pressures related to calls for his prosecution over his positions and policies."

Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post said Ben-Gvir canceled his participation in the police chiefs conference scheduled in New York this week, amid reports of legal pressures that may have been behind the decision.

The newspaper quoted the human rights organization "Hind Rajab," based in Belgium, as saying it "is 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 stated it "filed a request with the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute him, and also called on the New York Attorney General to open an official investigation into him."

The newspaper also quoted the organization as saying that "accountability is no longer theoretical, and it intends to continue pressuring U.S. authorities to take legal action" against Ben-Gvir.

In contrast, Ben-Gvir's office did not confirm that the cancellation 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 chiefs from around the world in New York on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, is considered one of the most controversial figures domestically and internationally.

It is noted that Ben-Gvir was banned from entering France and Ireland in late May after posting a video showing the mistreatment of detained activists from the "Freedom Flotilla," kneeling with their hands bound after being intercepted at sea and detained in southern Israel, which sparked international condemnation.

Several countries, including France, Spain, and Italy, called for European sanctions against him, while judicial authorities in Italy and France announced the opening of investigations into him on charges of torturing activists.

In May, the British website Middle East Eye reported that a request was submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for a secret arrest warrant against Ben-Gvir and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Palestinian and international human rights calls are also mounting for a warrant against Ben-Gvir, over his repeated incitement against Palestinian prisoners, including a law he initiated in the Knesset to execute prisoners.

During Israel's war of genocide 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 arrest warrants 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 genocide war on Gaza on October 8, 2023, leaving more than 73,000 Palestinians dead and over 172,000 wounded, mostly children and women, and destroying 90 percent of civilian infrastructure.