An opinion piece published in The New York Times on Monday alleged that, despite an absence of evidence, Israel utilizes sexual violence against Palestinians as part of its “security apparatus,” citing the conspiracy theory that Israeli guards coach dogs to sexually assault Palestinian prisoners.
The piece prompted sharp criticism from analysts, academics and former officials, who accused columnist Nicholas Kristof of relying on unsubstantiated claims and inflammatory rhetoric.
Jacqueline Carroll, a former sexual-crimes prosecutor in Cook County, Ill., and founder of an extremism consulting group, told JNS that an allegation of sexual violence “comes down to evidence.”
“If they can provide legitimate evidence, then they should be listened to,” Carroll said. “People believe what they see in the media more than they search out the actual facts and truth.”
In his column, Kristof acknowledges that “there is no evidence that Israeli leaders order rapes” and that he relied on conversations with 14 individuals who “said they had been sexually assaulted by Israeli settlers or members of the security forces.”
The column cited reports from the United Nations and the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, including allegations that Israeli guards used dogs to sexually assault Palestinian detainees. Critics of the column described those claims, which have recently gained traction among anti-Israel activist groups, as baseless and accused Kristof of amplifying propaganda.
“Utter depravity from Nick for parroting such cartoonishly evil Hamas propaganda that would make Goebbels blush,” Eitan Fischberger, a Middle East analyst, stated. He also noted that the dog conspiracy theory “is the handiwork of Ramy Abdu, head of the Hamas front group called Euro-Med.”
Gerald N. Steinberg, founder of NGO Monitor, wrote that the column was “perhaps the most toxic and idiotic pieces that Nick Kristof has put his name on.”
“A mix of lies sold by a Hamas-front propaganda NGO with zero credibility,” he said, pointing to Euro-Med, “and ‘eyewitness testimony’ from Hamas terrorists.”
Kristof compared Israeli officials’ rejection of the allegations to Hamas denying that its terrorists raped Israeli women during the group’s attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“The horrific abuse inflicted on Israeli women on Oct. 7 now happens to Palestinians day after day,” Kristof wrote.
Nadav Pollak, a Middle East studies lecturer at Reichman University in Herzliya, described the column as a “blood libel.”
“Any actual case that happened needs to be investigated by Israel, and those that commit crimes need to be arrested and face justice in court, but Kristof here intentionally tries to create a distorted reality, like this is common practice by Israel and compares it to Hamas,” Pollak wrote.
“The New York Times, of course, ran with this blood libel, comparing Israel to Hamas sexual attacks against Israeli hostages,” Pollak added.
Deborah Lipstadt, former U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, condemned the outlet for publishing the piece, stating, “Have they, the NY Times, no sense of decency and journalistic responsibility?”
