Israel to sue New York Times over allegations of ‘systematic sexual abuse’ of Palestinian prisoners
Criticism of NYT article continues unabated with hundreds demonstrating at NY office
Israel plans to sue The New York Times for defamation after the newspaper published an opinion article accusing Israeli security forces of systematic sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners, an article heavily criticized for its alleged lack of sourcing for its exceptional claims.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that he and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar initiated the defamation lawsuit “following the publication by Nicholas Kristof in The New York Times of one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel in the modern press, which also received the backing of the newspaper.”
In his article, Kristof wrote, “In wrenching interviews, Palestinians have recounted to me a pattern 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.”
Today I instructed my legal advisers to consider the harshest legal action against The New York Times and Nicholas Kristof.
— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) May 14, 2026
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…
The most incendiary claim was that Israel had trained dogs to sexually abuse prisoners.
However, the newspaper has defended Kristof and his article. Responding to the threat of a lawsuit, a spokeswoman on Friday defended what she claimed was the “deeply reported opinion column,” adding, “This threat, similar to one made last year, is part of a well-worn political playbook that aims to undermine independent reporting and stifle journalism that does not fit a specific narrative. Any such legal claim would be without merit.”
— NYTimes Communications (@NYTimesPR) May 14, 2026
The Israeli Foreign Ministry responded to the article with exceptionally harsh language, calling it the “worst blood libels ever to appear in the modern press” and “an unfathomable inversion of reality,” particularly noting it was published to appear around the same time as a report on Hamas’ systematic sexual violence on Oct. 7.
On Thursday, several hundred demonstrators protested outside the NYT's Manhattan office against the article, holding signs reading “Antizionism gets Jews killed.”
Protest outside the @nytimes HQ in New York. Not surprised. Their libellous piece about Jewish rape dogs was one of the most egregious things I’ve ever read in my life. pic.twitter.com/PYu2L2iFSk
— Casey Babb (@DrCaseyBabb) May 14, 2026
Most of the criticism has focused on Kristof’s sources, which include well-known anti-Israel activists as well as an ostensible human rights organization alleged to have ties to Hamas.
The NYT stated, “The accounts of the 14 men and women he interviewed were corroborated with other witnesses, whenever possible, and with people the victims confided in – that includes family members and lawyers. Details were extensively fact-checked, with accounts further cross-referenced with news reporting, independent research from human-rights groups, surveys and in one case, with U.N. testimony. Independent experts were consulted on the assertions in the piece throughout reporting and fact-checking.”
In a detailed post on 𝕏, Gaza anti-Hamas activist Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib wrote that he believed that while “incidents of sexual abuse have occurred in Israeli prisons… some cited entities and individuals, including the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor and Shaiel Ben Ephraim, have troubling records on accuracy, conduct, and associations.”
“They are not credible sources, even if the article relied on others as well. Many Palestinian testimonies were anonymous due to shame and fear of retaliation for reporting sexual torture, which complicates verification but does not automatically invalidate their claims,” Alkhatib added.
Meanwhile, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who was cited in the article in apparent support of Kristof’s claims, distanced himself from it, saying his statement was misrepresented.
“Olmert told me he didn’t know much about sexual violence against Palestinians but was not surprised by the accounts I had heard,” Kristof wrote.
“‘Do I believe it happens?’ he asked. ‘Definitely. There are war crimes committed every day in the territories,’” read the relevant portion.
Speaking to the Free Press, Olmert pointed out that his quote was placed at the end of the story in an apparent effort to validate the preceding claims.
“Mr. Kristof’s article includes claims of extraordinary gravity: that Israeli authorities have directed the rape of children, that dogs have been used as instruments of sexual assault, that systematic sexual torture is state policy. I did not validate these claims,” Olmert said.
“I have no knowledge supporting these claims, as I said to Mr. Kristof. Therefore, the positioning of my quote after pages of such allegations misrepresents my views,” he added.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
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