Netanyahu says Israel will sue New York Times over Palestinian sexual violence report

The Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, has announced a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times following the publication of an article detailing allegations of sexual violence by Israeli forces against Palestinian detainees.

The Israeli government described the report as "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."

The controversial report

According to Al Jazeera, the lawsuit centres on a report by longtime columnist Nicholas Kristof, which includes the accounts of 14 male and female Palestinian victims. The article describes a pattern of sexual abuse, including:

• Systematic ill-treatment: Kristof's piece cited a UN Human Rights Council report suggesting sexual violence had become "standard operating procedures" and "a major element in the ill treatment of Palestinians" within Israel's security apparatus.
• Specific accounts: The sources highlight the case of freelance journalist Sami al-Sai, who reported being sexually assaulted with objects while in detention in 2024, and Mohammad Matar, who recounted being stripped and threatened with rape by settlers under the protection of security forces. Matar later said: "For six months, I couldn't speak about it, even to my family."
• Corroboration: The New York Times stands by the piece, stating it was extensively fact-checked and corroborated through witnesses, lawyers, independent research from human rights groups, and UN testimony.

Charlie Stadtlander, a spokesperson for The New York Times, described the article as a "deeply reported piece of opinion journalism" in which "the accounts of the 14 men and women he interviewed were corroborated with other witnesses... and with people the victims confided in."

Stadtlander added: "Details were extensively fact-checked, with accounts further cross-referenced with news reporting, independent research from human-rights groups, surveys and in one case, the UN testimony."

Israel's response

The Israeli government has characterised the report as "the most hideous and distorted lies ever published" and previously labelled it as "blood libel."

Netanyahu said: "Under my leadership, Israel will not be silent. We will fight these lies in the court of public opinion and in the court of law."

Legal and editorial context

• Legal hurdles: Legal experts note that while a foreign government can sue a US media company, it faces a "steep legal climb" due to broad US constitutional protections for the press, particularly against government challenges.
• Criticism of the NYT: The newspaper has faced criticism from multiple sides regarding a perceived double standard. Critics question why Kristof's report on Palestinian victims was categorised as "opinion", whereas allegations of sexual abuse by Hamas against Israelis on 7 October were published as "news".
• Broader evidence: The sources indicate that Kristof's report adds to a growing body of evidence regarding the treatment of Palestinians. A UN special rapporteur noted that Israel has not granted access to international commissions to investigate these allegations. Additionally, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) found that nearly a third of Palestinian journalists detained by Israel had faced sexual violence.

Danielle Rhoades Ha, another spokesperson for The New York Times, said the legal threat was "part of a well-worn political playbook that aims to undermine independent reporting and stifle journalism that does not fit a specific narrative."

She added: "Any such legal claim would be without merit."

The United Nations (UN) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) corroborated the allegations of sexual violence through independent reports and investigative findings that identified systematic patterns of abuse.

United Nations corroboration

The UN's corroboration came through a report from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which was presented to the UN Human Rights Council. Key findings included:

• Systemic nature: The commission concluded that Israel's security apparatus had established a system where sexual violence became "standard operating procedures."
• Method of ill-treatment: The report identified these acts as a "major element" in the broader ill-treatment of Palestinian detainees.
• Direct testimony: The New York Times noted that at least one of the specific accounts in its report was cross-referenced and corroborated using UN testimony.

CPJ corroboration

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) provided corroboration focused specifically on the treatment of members of the press. Their findings showed:

• Prevalence among journalists: A CPJ report determined that nearly a third of Palestinian journalists who had been detained by Israel faced some form of sexual violence.
• Specific cases: These findings support individual accounts like that of freelance journalist Sami al-Sai, who reported being sexually assaulted with objects while in Israeli detention in 2024.

Despite these findings, Reem Alsalem, the UN special rapporteur on violence against women and girls, noted that "Israel has not responded to requests for access... for an international independent commission to investigate sexual abuse allegations against both Israelis and Palestinians."