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Dear Humanists International,

Can you please use your influence to urge the UN to prohibit war criminal and genocidal racist Itamar Ben-Gvir from attending the international police conference at the United Nations in New York in July.

The horrifying reality of this is that if Ben-Gvir sets foot on American soil, he should be arrested for his part in the genocide in Gaza. New Yorkers are urging Zohran Mamdani, the Mayor of New York City, to do so, yet we all know this will never happen. (Not yet, anyway.)

If Ben-Gvir does attend the conference, I ask if H.I. representatives can call on UN delegates to protest in any way they can; to bang on desks when he speaks, raise flags and signs, and walk out. The world urgently needs a voice at the United Nations, so I ask if Humanists International can help to join the call.

The fact that the UN is hosting such an authoritarian police conference is deeply concerning in itself, but to welcome a high-profile leader of the genocidal regime is a further stain on the reputation of the UN.

How can the UN welcome a war criminal such as Ben-Gvir whilst simultaneously creating in-depth reports such as the harrowing June 2026 report describing israel's systematic and genocidal policy of targeting children?

The crimes perpetrated by israel continue to shock the world, and we all know Ben-Gvir's role in the continuing brutal ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in the West Bank. He drank champagne when the death penalty against Palestinians became law. He lauds over a prison system that is well documented for raping and torturing Palestinian 'prisoners' (men, women and children held without trial).

A recent article on Substack (link below) describes the inhumane treatment of three pregnant women who receive no medical help and are refused visits from relatives. We see Ben-Gvir openly gloating about the crimes perpetrated by the illegal zionist invaders in Palestine and Lebanon.

To see him freely visit the US and be made welcome at the UN is yet another step towards the normalisation of genocide. The global majority's call for justice and an end to occupation needs our support from inside the corridors of the UN. 

As humanitarians, we must show courage and conviction for victims of state violence everywhere, and continue to campaign against those who bully and intimidate the international legal system. States that are free to commit mass murder, rape, dispossesion, war and crimes against humanity can no longer enjoy impunity because the world is watching. The world also sees what humanitarian organisations are doing; therefore, we must act in every way we can.  

Thank you for your time, 

Stephen McLaren

Humanism in Scotland

Pregnant Palestine women in israeli prison
 

Short video with statements following the latest UN genocide report:

More on Ben-Gvir