Shurat HaDin, an Israeli legal organization representing victims of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, has appealed to Israel’s attorney general and state prosecutor demanding criminal indictments against editors at The New York Times and columnist Nicholas Kristof over a report alleging systematic sexual violence by Israeli forces against Palestinians.
In an urgent letter sent Monday, the organization called for the filing of defamation charges following the publication of a May 11, 2026 investigation titled “The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians.” The report accused the State of Israel, IDF soldiers, Israel Prison Service personnel and Israeli settlers of carrying out acts of rape, abuse and systematic sexual violence against Palestinians.
The article’s most severe allegation claimed that Israeli security personnel used dogs to rape Palestinian prisoners.
Shurat HaDin described the report as a “modern blood libel,” arguing that it went far beyond legitimate criticism of Israel and constituted defamation. The organization said the publication harmed not only the reputations of IDF soldiers and Israeli security personnel, but also the State of Israel itself, its foreign relations and the safety of Israelis and Jews worldwide.
The organization further argued that the article was part of what it described as a broader pattern of biased coverage against Israel by The New York Times in recent years. According to the group, the newspaper’s reporting has crossed the boundaries of free speech and legitimate journalism, becoming, in its view, a platform for anti-Israel narratives and propaganda originating from sources linked to Hamas.
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Nitsana Darshan-Leitner is the founder and president of Shurat HaDin – Israel Law Center
(Photo: Pavel Tolchinsky)
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, president of Shurat HaDin, said the article was “one of the most despicable blood libels published by The New York Times against the State of Israel.”
“When a major international media outlet publishes such monstrous distortions based on Hamas propaganda, this is no longer journalistic criticism but a campaign intended to endanger Israelis and Jews around the world,” she said. “The State of Israel must stop standing by. We demand that indictments be filed against those responsible without delay.”
The legal demand follows a broader political and public backlash in Israel over an opinion column by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof published in The New York Times under the headline “The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians.”
In the column, Kristof alleged that IDF soldiers and Israeli prison guards carried out systematic sexual abuse against Palestinian detainees, including claims involving rape using dogs, metal rods and other forms of violence. Kristof wrote that the column was based on interviews with 14 alleged victims.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said he had instructed his legal advisers to examine “the harshest legal action” against The New York Times and Kristof, accusing them of defaming Israeli soldiers and promoting “a blood libel about rape.”
Israel’s Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry also published a report alleging that one of the key sources cited in the column, the Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, was linked to Hamas through its founder and chairman, Ramy Abdu. The organization denied the allegations. Israeli officials further accused the newspaper of amplifying anti-Israel narratives and relying on sources they said were tied to Hamas-affiliated entities.