Allegations of Sexual Violence in Israeli Security Apparatus

The New York Times responded to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who ordered the ‘initiation of a defamation lawsuit’ against the newspaper. This came after the Times published an article on Monday alleging a pattern of widespread Israeli sexual violence against men, women, and children by soldiers, settlers, interrogators, and prison guards.

Accusations and Rebuttals

Netanyahu and Saar accused the New York Times of publishing ‘one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever against the State of Israel in the modern press’. The Israeli government alleged that the article by Nicholas Kristof was based on ‘unverified sources tied to Hamas-linked networks’. In response. The Times stated that the threat was part of a ‘well-worn political playbook’ aimed at undermining independent reporting and stifling journalism that does not conform to a specific narrative.

Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, accused Kristof and his paper of violating journalistic standards; On Thursday, scores of Jewish protesters demonstrated outside the New York Times office in Manhattan, calling for Kristof to be fired.

Content and Evidence in the Article

Kristof’s 3,700-word article, titled The Silence that Meets the Rape of Palestinians, stated that Israeli leaders have not ordered rapes but have created a security apparatus where sexual violence has become a ‘standard operating procedure’ and ‘a major element in the ill treatment of Palestinians’ according to a United Nations report from last year.

His reporting was based on conversations with 14 men and women who claimed they had been sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers or members of the security forces. The article included first-person descriptions of sexual abuse, including rape and assault with objects — One unnamed person, a Gaza journalist according to Kristof, claimed to have been raped by a dog on the command of the dog’s handler.

Over the years. Israeli and Palestinian NGOs have compiled evidence of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees. The Israeli Prison Service stated it was ‘not aware of the claims described’ in one case and added that they operate ‘in full accordance with the law’. It did not comment on the second man’s claims.

Five soldiers were charged last year with assaulting a Palestinian detainee from Gaza at Sde Teiman military prison, including one accused of ‘stabbing the detainee’s buttock with a sharp object’. The case was controversial, with right-wing supporters accusing the left-wing of using the incident to smear the security forces. It later emerged that CCTV footage of the incident was leaked by the then-Israeli Military Advocate General, Maj Gen Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, leading to her resignation and arrest.

Lawyers in Israel specializing in defamation told BBC that while the state could bring the case to court, it would be challenging. Liat Bergman Ravid stated that in Israel, filing a civil claim in such a context has a low likelihood of success because the Defamation Law prevents civil actions by collectives, and the legal system does not encourage defamation suits by governmental bodies due to public policy considerations of protecting freedom of speech. However, the law allows the Attorney General to file an indictment, but this is rare.

Idan Seger added that if the claim came to court in Israel, the newspaper would have to defend itself with a far more stringent burden of proof than under the US standard, as a mere lack of malice is insufficient to avoid liability. To prevail, the newspaper must prove the absolute truth of its reporting or demonstrate strict adherence to responsible journalism standards.