DayofPal—The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), in collaboration with the (CCR), has called on New York state attorney general Letitia James to launch a criminal investigation into Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir ahead of his planned visit to New York for the UN Chiefs of Police Summit on 7–8 July.
In a letter submitted on Thursday, the organizations urged James to meet with the Palestinians victims of Ben Gvir’s policies, including a Palestinian American former detainee and participants in the 2025 and 2026 Global Sumud Flotillas.
They also called for the establishment of an “Atrocity Crimes Accountability Task Force” within the attorney general’s office.
HRF and CCR say that Ben Gvir’s actions, including expanding weapons distribution to Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank and making statements they describe as incitement to genocide in Gaza, provide sufficient grounds for a criminal investigation under New York law.
“The ball is in her court; she needs to meet with these people,” Jake Romm, the US representative for HRF, told Middle East Eye on Thursday. “They are New Yorkers. They deserve the protection of the law, and she has an obligation to bring justice.”
HRF called on James to open an “Atrocity Crimes Accountability Task Force” in the criminal justice division, specifically for victims of Israeli officials and the state’s policies.
The groups argue that state authorities have a responsibility to pursue accountability during the minister’s visit, despite what they describe as longstanding impunity for Israeli officials.
James’s office operates independently of political leadership, but she is a strong ally of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has been an outspoken critic of Israel’s policies.
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