Far-right Israeli minister to attend UN policing forum amid global policing reform debates
Original framing: “Israel's Ben Gvir set to attend UN policing conference in New York next month” — Middle East Eye
The UN’s policing role has roots in post-WWII decolonization, where 'peacekeeping' often served as a euphemism for suppressing anti-colonial movements. Israel’s policing model, which Ben Gvir represents, draws on British Mandate-era tactics of collective punishment and surveillance. The UN’s failure to hold Israel accountable for its policing practices in Gaza and the West Bank reflects a historical pattern of Western states shielding allies from scrutiny.
Ben Gvir’s attendance at the UN policing conference is not an anomaly but a symptom of a global system where securitization trumps liberation.
The UN’s policing agenda, shaped by Western states and corporate interests, has historically served as a tool for maintaining colonial hierarchies, as seen in its failure to hold Israel accountable for apartheid. Indigenous and Global South traditions offer alternatives rooted in restorative justice, but these are systematically excluded from international forums. The trickster’s role—exposing the absurdity of a 'peacekeeping' body hosting a minister whose policies embody violence—highlights the need for radical reform. True solutions lie in decolonizing policing, sanctioning apartheid enablers, and centering community-led safety, but these require dismantling the power structures that benefit from the status quo.