Israel Foreign Ministry Slams New York Times Column on Alleged Palestinian Sexual Abuse as Blood Libel

The Israel Foreign Ministry on Monday condemned The New York Times for publishing what it described as "one of the worst blood libels ever to appear in the modern press." The rebuke targeted an opinion column by Nicholas Kristof reporting allegations of sexual abuse against Palestinians by Israeli prison guards, soldiers, settlers, interrogators and dogs.

Kristof's piece, headlined "The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians," featured accounts from men and women who alleged brutal sexual abuse at the hands of those groups. Critics labeled it propaganda and questioned the reporting, while the Israeli government stated the truth will prevail.

"Whatever our views of the Middle East conflict, we should be able to unite in condemning rape," Kristof wrote. He noted that supporters of Israel had denounced sexual violence during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

Kristof recounted wrenching interviews with Palestinians describing a pattern of widespread Israeli sexual violence against men, women and children. He added that American tax dollars subsidize the Israeli security establishment, making the United States complicit.

He spoke with 14 men and women who said they had been sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers or security forces. The Israeli government rejected the claims, which Kristof compared to Hamas denials of raping Israeli women.

The columnist claimed some Palestinians had their genitals yanked or were beaten on the testicles, with some men requiring testicle amputations by doctors. He said metal batons were used to rape men and quoted a Gaza journalist who claimed a dog mounted and penetrated him.

"Other Palestinian prisoners and human rights monitors have also cited reports of police dogs being coached to rape prisoners," Kristof added. He wrote, "Think of it this way: The horrific abuse inflicted on Israeli women on Oct. 7 now happens to Palestinians day after day."

The Israel Foreign Ministry called the report malicious and false. "In an unfathomable inversion of reality, and through an endless stream of baseless lies, propagandist Nicholas Kristof turns the victim into the accused," the ministry wrote on X. It noted that Israeli citizens suffered horrific sexual crimes by Hamas on October 7 and hostages faced further abuse.

"This publication is no coincidence. It is part of a false and well-orchestrated anti-Israel campaign aimed at placing Israel on the U.N. Secretary-General’s blacklist," the ministry added. "Israel will fight these lies with the truth - and the truth will prevail."

The New York Times did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kristof called the ministry's response a critical take and shared a free link to his story.

Pro-Israel media watchdog Honest Reporting termed the piece journalistic malpractice and criticized Kristof's reliance on freelance journalist Sami al-Sai. Yechiel Leiter, Israel's ambassador to the United States, posted a video urging Americans not to buy into blood libels.

"The only clear crime on display here is the violation of journalistic standards by Mr. Kristof and his paper," Leiter said. He criticized questionable sources with ties to Hamas.

On Tuesday, Kristof wrote, "I appreciate the intense interest in my column. For skeptics, why not agree on Red Cross and lawyer visits for the 9,000 Palestinian ‘security’ prisoners? If you think these abuse allegations are false, such monitoring visits would be protective. So why not?"

Kristof aligns with the Democratic Party, which has grown more anti-Israel in recent years. He once made an aborted bid for Oregon governor as a Democrat.