Israel says it will sue New York Times over article on sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners

"Netanyahu added in a statement to Reuters that the piece defamed the soldiers of Israel and perpetuated a blood libel about rape. He said the publication tried to create a false symmetry between the genocidal terrorists of Hamas and Israel's valiant soldiers. He said, “We will fight these lies in the court of public opinion and in the court of law. Truth will prevail.”"

"Charlie Stadtlander, a spokesperson for the Times, said Kristof's interviews with 14 men and women were corroborated with other witnesses, whenever possible, and with people the victims confided in, including family members and lawyers. Stadtlander said details were extensively fact-checked, with accounts further cross-referenced with news reporting, independent research from human-rights groups, surveys and in one case, with U.N. testimony. He said independent experts were consulted on the assertions in the piece throughout reporting and fact-checking."

"It is not clear in which jurisdiction Israeli officials would bring the lawsuit or whether defamation claims could even be filed by a government. There is no chance a US court would"

Israel’s prime minister and foreign minister threatened to sue the New York Times for defamation after an essay alleged that Palestinian women, men, and children were raped and sexually abused in Israeli military detention. Israel’s foreign ministry claimed the publication contained hideous and distorted lies and said it defamed Israeli soldiers while perpetuating a blood libel. Netanyahu said the piece tried to create false symmetry between Hamas terrorists and Israel’s soldiers. The New York Times did not respond to the legal threat, but it defended the reporting, saying interviews were corroborated with other witnesses and with people the victims confided in, including family members and lawyers. The paper said details were extensively fact-checked, cross-referenced with other reporting, independent research, surveys, and in one case U.N. testimony, with independent experts consulted. It was unclear where a lawsuit would be filed or whether a government could sue, and it was suggested a U.S. court might not be an option.

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