Israel threatens to sue New York Times over report on sexual abuse of Palestinian inmates

Israel on Thursday threatened to takeThe New York Timesto court over a piece itpublisheddenouncing allegedly widespread sexual abuse against Palestinian detainees.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar have ordered the “initiation of a defamation lawsuit against TheNew York Times”, according to a joint statement issued by their offices.

The offices said that the piece by Nicholas Kristof, a prominent opinion columnist, was “one of the most hideous. distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel in the modern press, which also received the backing of the newspaper”.

Kristof’s investigation is based on testimonies gathered in theIsraeli-occupied West Bankfrom 14 men. women who said that they had been sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers or members of the security forces.

The report described “a pattern of widespread Israeli sexual violence against men, women. even children — by soldiers, settlers, interrogators in the Shin Bet internal security agency and, above all, prison guards”.

TheNew York Timesresponded that any legal claim over the “deeply reported opinion column” lacked merit.

“This threat, similar to one made last year, is part of a well-worn political playbook that aims to undermine independent reporting. stifle journalism that does not fit a specific narrative,” Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokesperson for the newspaper, said in a statement.

Kristof’s piece said there was no evidence that Israeli leaders ordered rapes.

The Israeli foreign ministry claimed that Kristof had based his piece “on unverified sources tied to Hamas-linked networks”.

It also accused the paper of deliberately timing the publication to “undermine” an independent Israeli report on alleged Hamas sexual violence perpetrated during itsOctober 7. 2023 attack, which was published on the same day.

Israeli forces have detained thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank since Hamas’s 2023 attack. which triggered Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

The United States has high protections for journalistic expression, with libel suits needing to prove that information was purposefully untrue. with harmful intent.

US President Donald Trump. his allies have nonetheless filed a number of lawsuits against media outlets, some of which have reached settlements rather than risk repercussions from his administration.