Israel To Sue New York Times Over 'Hideous And Distorted' Article Accusing Soldiers Of Raping Palestinian Prisoners

Israel has announced plans to sue the New York Times over a column accusing Israeli soldiers, prison guards and others of raping and sexually abusing Palestinian prisoners in detention facilities.The announcement came on Thursday, following Monday's publication of an opinion piece by veteran journalist Nicholas Kristof.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar have instructed their legal teams to consider the harshest action against both the newspaper and the columnist. Israel's ministry of foreign affairs described the article as one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel in the modern press.

Netanyahu Accuses NYT of Blood Libel

Netanyahu posted on X that he had instructed his advisers to pursue the strongest legal measures. 'Today I instructed my legal advisers to consider the harshest legal action against The New York Times and Nicholas Kristof,' he wrote. '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 and Israel's valiant soldiers.'

The foreign ministry as per The Times Of Israel labelled the piece one of the worst blood libels in modern media and criticised the timing ahead of an Israeli report on Hamas sexual violence after the 7 October 2023 attacks. The Israel Prison Service said the allegations raised were false and entirely unfounded.

Kristof Details Pattern of Alleged Abuse

Kristof's column as reported by The Hill, titled The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians, drew on testimony from 14 Palestinian men and women. It alleged a pattern of widespread Israeli sexual violence against men, women and even children by soldiers, settlers, Shin Bet internal security interrogators and, above all, prison guards.

Some accounts detailed in the The Times Of Israel described detainees being stripped naked, groped, forcibly penetrated with objects or raped by specially trained dogs. Kristof said he located the victims by reaching out to lawyers, human rights groups, aid workers and ordinary Palestinians. He was able to corroborate many stories but noted there was no evidence that Israeli leaders ordered the acts as reported by The Guardian.

He cited United Nations reports indicating sexual violence was a major element in the ill treatment of Palestinians in custody.

Paper Defends Reporting Amid Lawsuit Threat

The New York Times has firmly rejected the threat of legal action. A spokesperson described it as without merit and part of a well-worn political playbook designed to undermine independent reporting. The newspaper emphasised that Kristof's work was deeply reported and extensively fact-checked, with victim accounts cross-referenced against news reporting, independent human rights research, surveys and UN testimony.

'Nick has covered sexual violence for decades, and is widely regarded as one of the world's best on-the-ground journalists,' the statement continued. The paper has repeatedly defended Kristof's reporting over the last few days. Media law experts have expressed scepticism about the lawsuit's prospects.

The row has intensified debate over media coverage of sexual violence claims in the Israel-Gaza conflict. On Instagram, Nicholas Kristof reflected on the piece, saying it was a hard article to report and write. 'Whether we're pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian, we should be able to unite in being anti-rape,' he wrote.

Middle East Eye's verified account shared the lawsuit news, quoting the foreign ministry's condemnation of the claims as hideous and distorted.

As of Friday, no further details have been released on the planned lawsuit, leaving observers to question its legal feasibility.