The New York Times accused Israel of attempting to “undermine independent reporting and stifle journalism” after the Prime Minister’s Office announced that it would take legal action against the outlet on Thursday over a controversial column.
The column, which was written by Nicholas Kristof, included allegations of severe sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli Prisons and was described by the PMO as “one of the most hideous and distorted lies ever published against the State of Israel.”
The NYT fired back at the PMO, defending Kristof’s opinion column and claiming that it was “deeply reported” in a statement released on X/Twitter.
A spokesperson for the NYT alleged that the threat of legal action “is part of a well-worn political playbook that aims to undermine independent reporting and stifle journalism that does not fit a specific narrative.”
The NYT compared the reaction to Kristof’s column to an incident that occurred in August 2025 after they published a misleading photo of a young boy with an article about alleged starvation in Gaza.
It was later revealed that the boy in the front page photo had a preexisting medical condition that led to his unwell appearance, and he was not starving.
At the time, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the NYT “should be sued” during an interview with Fox News’ Bill Hemmer. “I’m actually looking at whether a country can sue the NYT, and I’m looking into it right now, because I think it’s such a …it’s such a clear defamation,” he continued.
