Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced on Thursday that Israel will initiate a lawsuit against The New York Times over an op-ed published on May 11. The article, written by columnist Nicholas Kristof, cited Palestinian sources accusing Israel of "widespread Israeli sexual violence against men, women and even children—by soldiers, settlers, interrogators in the Shin Bet internal security agency and, above all, prison guards."
Allegations of Defamation
Netanyahu described the piece as "one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel." In a social media post, he stated: "Today I instructed my legal advisers to consider the harshest legal action against The New York Times and Nicholas Kristof. They defamed the soldiers of Israel and perpetuated a blood libel about rape, trying to create a false symmetry between the genocidal terrorists of Hamas."
Questionable Sources
The Israeli government criticized Kristof for failing to fact-check his sources. The op-ed relied heavily on a report by Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, a Geneva-based group that accuses Israel of employing "systematic sexual violence" as part of an "organized state policy." However, NGO Monitor, a Jerusalem-based watchdog, found that key members of Euro-Med have ties to Hamas. For instance, Ramy Abdu, Euro-Med's founder and chairman, appeared on a 2013 Israeli list of Hamas's "main operatives and institutions" in Europe.
Kristof also cited the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which he called "a respected American organization." In 2024, investigative journalist David Collier discovered that CPJ had repeated Hamas propaganda in a report accusing Israel of targeting journalists in Gaza.
Legal Action and Reactions
The lawsuit marks a significant escalation in Israel's efforts to combat what it views as biased reporting. The New York Times has not yet responded to the announcement. Kristof defended his reporting on social media, stating that he spent time investigating allegations of rape and sexual violence against Palestinian prisoners and urged readers to read the article.
The case is expected to draw international attention, highlighting ongoing tensions between Israel and media organizations over coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
