The Hind Rajab Foundation announced on Tuesday that it had submitted a request to the US Justice Department to open criminal proceedings against Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Aryeh King, accusing him of involvement in what it describes as a 'war crime of illegal population transfer' and 'incitement to genocide.' The request was filed ahead of King's expected arrival in the United States next week for a fundraising tour on behalf of the Israel Land Fund, which he founded.
Hind Rajab Foundation asks US Justice Department to open criminal proceedings against Jerusalem deputy mayor
The Hind Rajab Foundation announced on Tuesday that it had submitted a request to the US Justice Department to open criminal proceedings against Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Aryeh King, accusing him of involvement in what it describes as a 'war crime of illegal population transfer' and 'incitement to genocide.' The request was filed ahead of King's expected arrival in the United States next week for a fundraising tour on behalf of the Israel Land Fund, which he founded.
The Legal Center for Palestine and the Hind Rajab Foundation also filed a complaint with the Canadian federal police's war crimes investigation unit within the past 24 hours, according to the source report. King is expected to travel to the US after visiting Canada, where events have reportedly been scheduled in Toronto and Montreal, according to opponents of the visit.
King holds Israeli and British citizenship and is described as a prominent figure in Jewish settlement efforts in East Jerusalem. The foundation alleges he used his public positions and work with the Israel Land Fund to advance the removal of Palestinians from their homes and the transfer of properties to Jewish ownership, including in the Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods, actions the organization claims could constitute 'illegal transfer of protected persons' under the Geneva Convention and a war crime under US law.
A central part of the complaint focuses on statements King allegedly made during the war in Gaza, including calls to halt aid to the Gaza Strip, support for protesters who blocked aid trucks, and statements attributed to him calling for the expulsion of Gaza residents and the destruction of its cities. The complaint also references a publication attributed to King showing Palestinian detainees bound and kneeling, alongside text in which he allegedly wrote that if it were up to him, he would order D9 bulldozers to bury them alive. The post was later removed, according to the foundation.
The foundation additionally accused King of 'prolonged incitement against UNRWA,' claiming he referred to the UN agency as a 'Nazi terrorist organization,' welcomed the torching of one of its compounds, and called 'to remove, destroy and kill all UNRWA personnel.' The organization linked those statements to King's efforts to shut down UNRWA institutions in East Jerusalem.
The request is a unilateral action by the organization seeking to initiate proceedings and does not represent an indictment or an arrest warrant. The DOJ has not announced that it has opened an investigation into King, and there is no indication that US authorities have adopted the factual claims or legal interpretation presented by the foundation.
- The source does not state the specific date of King's planned arrival in the United States.
- The source does not state whether Canadian authorities have taken any action in response to the complaint filed with the Canadian federal police's war crimes investigation unit.
- The source does not provide the date or dates on which the statements attributed to King were originally made.
- The source does not state whether King has legal representation in connection with either the US or Canadian complaints.
- The source does not state the US legal statute under which the foundation asserts war crimes jurisdiction over the alleged conduct.
- The source does not include any response from the US Justice Department or Canadian federal police to the complaints filed.
Read the original at The Jerusalem Post