Dozens Protest New York Times, Demand Kristof's Firing Over Palestinian Rape Report
Updated
Updated · Middle East Eye · May 15
Dozens Protest New York Times, Demand Kristof's Firing Over Palestinian Rape Report
3 articles · Updated · Middle East Eye · May 15
Dozens of pro-Israel activists rallied outside the New York Times building in New York on Thursday, demanding veteran columnist Nicholas Kristof be fired over a report on rape and sexual abuse of Palestinians in Israeli prisons.
The protest followed Kristof's article detailing detainee testimony that included assaults with dogs, batons and vegetables; demonstrators and Israeli public figures cast the report as a "blood libel" and antisemitic smear.
Israel's Foreign Ministry said Thursday it would sue the Times after the paper stood by the story, escalating the dispute beyond street protests.
The allegations sit within a broader record: rights groups, prior reporting and a March UN inquiry have documented sexual violence against Palestinian detainees, including rape and the insertion of objects into the anus and rectum.
With charges dropped and officials implicated, can Israel's legal system hold its own soldiers accountable for systematic torture?
As UN reports verify widespread torture, why does international law seem unable to stop these abuses in Israeli prisons?