The NY Times denies plans to retract controversial column on Palestinian abuse
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Note: This story contains graphic allegations of sexual violence.
The New York Times stood by one of its opinion writers on Tuesday after she wrote a controversial piece that claimed Palestinians were routinely sexually abused by everyone from Israeli prison guards to dogs.
The paper’s latest statement was in response to reporter David Shuster saying he heard reports that the NY Times plans to retract a column by columnist Nicholas Kristof after receiving criticism from readers and the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
“Hearing from longtime friends @nytimes there are already discussions, including the headline, about retracting the @NickKristof column. Problems with source credibility and lack of evidence. No indication that mistakes in getting Kristof were intentional. Still a problem,” Shuster wrote on X Monday night.
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The New York Times issued a statement defending Nicholas Kristof’s piece. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)
The NY Times eventually responded to the claim, saying there was “no truth” to the rumor and defending Kristof as “one of the best journalists in the world.”
“This is completely untrue. Nicholas Kristof is a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has reported on sexual violence for decades, and is widely regarded as one of the world’s leading journalists covering and testifying about sexual abuse experienced by women and men in war and conflict zones,” said NY Times spokesman Charlie Stadtlander.
He continued, “He traveled to the region to report first-hand the stories of Palestinian victims, and his article collects accounts from the victims’ words, supported by independent studies.”
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New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof wrote a controversial piece titled, “The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians.” (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Kristof’s piece titled, “Peace Meets the Rape of Palestinians,” featured men and women who described “brutal sexual abuse at the hands of Israeli prison guards, soldiers, settlers and interrogators.”
In this article, he alleged that Palestinians were “deprived of their private parts or beaten in the testicles,” “some men had to have their testicles cut off by doctors,” and batons were used to rape men. Kristof also said that a reporter from Gaza said that he was “ridden” by a dog.
Several commentators have questioned Kristof’s report, noting that most of the “14 men and women” he interviewed have ties to Hamas or anti-Israel activism.
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Israel’s Foreign Ministry called Kristof’s piece “one of the bloodiest stories ever to appear in today’s press.” (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the piece, calling it “one of the worst bloodsheds ever to appear in today’s press” and warning that “the truth will prevail.”
“In an unprecedented twist of truth, and by using an endless stream of unfounded lies, Nikolaus Kristof of the propagandist turns the victim into the accused. Israel – whose citizens were the victims of the worst sex crimes committed by Hamas on October 7, and the hostages later suffered from ongoing sexual abuse – is presented as an organization with a criminal record in the X Israel Foreign Ministry.
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Fox News’ Brian Flood contributed to this report.
