Israeli prosecutor Amit Aisman is reportedly seeking to open a criminal investigation into National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for allegedly inciting violence against Palestinians in Gaza, The Times of Israel reports.
The investigation would be symbolic in nature, partly to show the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Israeli courts are taking action against alleged crimes, as the ICJ only needs to intervene if national legal systems fail to do so.
However, the newspaper points out that “none of the officials involved believe an investigation will lead to an indictment, let alone a conviction” of Ben-Gvir, who enjoys parliamentary immunity.
Before he became one of the most powerful people in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, Ben-Gvir had already been convicted of inciting racism, supporting a “terrorist organization” (the Kach group), possessing propaganda materials of a “terrorist organization” and destroying property.
Recently, he has been responsible for worsening conditions for thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, with widespread allegations of torture and degrading treatment, and a complete ban on outside visits, including family and the Red Cross.
Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was already convicted of eight charges by Israeli courts, including racism against Palestinians, before he became security minister (File: Ammar Awad/Reuters)
