Israel plans lawsuit against NYT over abuse allegations column

Israel is preparing legal action against The New York Times over an opinion column alleging sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees, US media reports.

The column, written by Nicholas Kristof, cited interviews with 14 individuals who said they had been sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers or members of the security forces. However, Kristof noted that he was unable to corroborate some of the accounts.

Israeli officials strongly condemned the publication. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office described the article as “one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel,” adding that Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar had “instructed the initiation of a defamation lawsuit against The New York Times.”

Netanyahu also said on X that his legal advisers would “consider the harshest legal action against The New York Times and Nicholas Kristof.”

The newspaper defended the column, calling it a “deeply reported piece of opinion journalism.” Spokesperson Charlie Stadtlander said the accounts “were corroborated with other witnesses, whenever possible,” including family members and lawyers, and that details were “extensively fact-checked” and cross-referenced with reporting, human rights research and, in one case, United Nations testimony.

Legal experts say any lawsuit would face significant obstacles, particularly in the US. First Amendment scholar Rodney Smolla noted that a government cannot sue for defamation in the United States and said courts would likely find the article insufficiently directed at Netanyahu personally.

Nadine Strossen, a former president of the American Civil Liberties Union, said a plaintiff would need to prove “intentional or reckless falsity,” meaning the claims must be demonstrably false rather than opinion or interpretation.

Yale Law professor Jed Rubenfeld was more blunt, saying there is “probably zero chance of the suit succeeding,” especially since the column does not name specific individuals.

While similar cases have been brought in the past, including a lawsuit by former Israeli Defence Minister Ariel Sharon against Time magazine, legal analysts say the lack of identifiable targets in Kristof’s column makes a successful defamation claim unlikely.

By Tamilla Hasanova