Israel To Sue NYT Over Story On Sexual Violence Against Detained Palestinians
The Israeli government announced on Thursday that it would file a libel lawsuit against The New York Times. A meticulously told story Earlier this week, a lawsuit was filed regarding allegations of systematic rape and sexual abuse of Palestinian men, women and children held in Israeli prisons.
In a joint statementBoth Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said they ordered the lawsuit “after Nicholas Kristof published in The New York Times one of the most disgusting and distorted lies against the State of Israel ever published in the modern press, which also received the newspaper’s support.”
The journalist published the sexual abuse investigation in the Opinion section of the Times on Monday. Citing graphic, first-hand accounts from 14 survivors, Kristof reveals how Israeli settlers and members of the security forces are implicated in sexual assault, rape and torture Number of Palestinian civilians arrested In Israel’s many documented camps.
“I am appalled by this pattern of abuse, in part because our American tax dollars subsidize Israeli security forces. This, I fear, makes us complicit,” the longtime columnist said in an op-ed. Times video for the story. “Look, whether you consider yourself pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian, there is one thing we need to agree on: We are against rape.”
“Whether you consider yourself pro-Israel or pro-Palestinian, there is one thing we must agree on: We are against rape.”
-Nicholas Kristof, columnist for The New York Times
Israel immediately attacked the Times and Kristof upon this news and accused them. perpetuating the “blood libel” And “I’m trying to create a false symmetry” Between Hamas and Israeli forces.
Neither Kristof nor the Times immediately responded to HuffPost’s request for comment on the lawsuit, but both repeatedly publicly defended story From attacks by Israeli officials.
“The statements of the 14 men and women interviewed were corroborated whenever possible with other witnesses and with people trusted by the victims, including family members and attorneys,” Times spokesman Charlie Stadtlander said. He said in a statement on Wednesday:.
“Details were extensively checked; accounts were cross-referenced with news reports, independent investigations by human rights groups, surveys and, in one case, UN testimony.” “Independent experts were consulted about the allegations in the article during reporting and fact-checking.”
Times and Kristof are right about this other reportersexperts, international human rights groups and the United Nations They have been documenting for years the systemic problem of Israeli authorities committing acts of sexual violence against Palestinian civilians, including detainees.
A foreign government could technically sue a US media company, but Israel would likely face legal hurdles in a US court due to broader constitutional protections for the press. The case could require the government to open access to Israel’s prisons, something it opposes on behalf of both the press and lawyers.
If names in the Israeli media also speak, there may be difficulties in defending the slander in the case. in dehumanizing terms Harming Palestinian detainees, sometimes sexually. Israel’s Channel 12 channel leaked footage from 2024 alleging that five soldiers sexually harassed a Palestinian man at the Sde Teiman facility, notorious for violence. The army accused the soldiers of allegedly using a sharp object near his rectum, sending him to the hospital, before dropping all charges.
Need help? Visit RAINN National Sexual Assault Online Helpline or National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
