Pro-Israel Rally Protests NYT Column on Detainee Abuse

Pro-Israel demonstrators rallied outside The New York Times headquarters in Manhattan on Thursday, protesting a column by veteran journalist Nicholas Kristof that detailed allegations of sexual abuse and torture against Palestinian detainees held in Israeli facilities.

The protesters, numbering in the dozens to hundreds according to videos and witness accounts shared online, waved Israeli flags and carried signs accusing the newspaper of spreading "blood libel" and anti-Israel propaganda. Chants included "New York Times, shame on you," "Stop the libels, stop the hate," and calls to end what they described as Jew hatred linked to anti-Zionism. Some demonstrators referenced historical antisemitic accusations, such as the Dreyfus affair, in their signage.

Kristof's opinion piece, published earlier in the week, drew on testimonies from former Palestinian detainees who described physical beatings, sexual humiliation, and assaults involving dogs, batons, carrots, and other objects while held in facilities like the Sde Teiman military camp. The accounts emerged amid Israel's ongoing military operations in Gaza, following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.