Israel has announced plans to pursue legal action against The New York Times following the publication of an opinion article alleging widespread sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees by Israeli personnel and settlers.
A joint statement from the offices of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the government had directed officials to begin a defamation case against the newspaper.
Israeli authorities strongly rejected the allegations presented in the article, calling the report false and misleading.
The piece, authored by journalist Nicholas Kristof, cited testimonies from 14 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank who claimed they experienced sexual abuse at the hands of Israeli soldiers, settlers, interrogators and prison staff.
The article alleged a broader pattern of abuse affecting men, women and children, while also clarifying that no evidence linked Israeli political leaders directly to such actions.
In response, The New York Times defended the publication, stating that the opinion column was extensively researched and that any lawsuit would have no legal basis.
Newspaper spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha said attempts to challenge such reporting were aimed at discouraging independent journalism and silencing narratives that differ from official positions.
Meanwhile, Israel’s foreign ministry accused the article of relying on unverified sources allegedly connected to Hamas-linked groups. It also claimed the timing of publication was intended to distract attention from an Israeli report concerning alleged sexual violence during the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.
Thousands of Palestinians have been detained by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank since the Gaza conflict began following the Hamas attack.
In the United States, defamation laws provide strong protections for media organisations, requiring proof that false information was published intentionally and with malicious intent before liability can be established.
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