Netanyahu and Sa'ar Order Defamation Suit Against The New York Times Over Prisoner-Abuse Allegations

Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Sa'ar announced this afternoon (Thursday) that they instructed the filing of a lawsuit against the American newspaper "The New York Times". In a joint statement, they said: "In light of Nicholas Kristof's publication in The New York Times of one of the most horrifying and distorted lies ever leveled against the State of Israel in modern journalism, which was also backed by the newspaper, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar have instructed the initiation of a defamation suit against The New York Times."

The newspaper recently published a series of articles against Israel. One column claimed that Palestinian prisoners suffer violent and severe physical abuse by Israel, and even alleged that Israel "trained" dogs to attack prisoners.

In parallel with the directive, the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and the Fight Against Antisemitism released a severe report detailing the activities of the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor and its direct ties to the terrorist organization Hamas. According to the report, the organization, which presents itself as an objective human-rights body, serves as a propaganda arm and a legal arm of Hamas. The organization is behind the information on which Kristof's opinion column in The New York Times was based.

The Minister of Diaspora Affairs and the Fight Against Antisemitism, Amichai Chikli, criticized the American newspaper: "It is disappointing to hear that The New York Times, which for years was a symbol of quality journalism, falls time and again victim to the Palestinians' wholesale lies. The Euro-Med organization is headed by none other than a Hamas member and terrorist, working to promote international pressure against Israel."

The report reveals that the organization, based in Geneva, Switzerland, is led by Rami Abdo, against whom an administrative seizure order was previously issued by the Israeli defense minister due to his membership in the terrorist organization "IPalestine". Abdo recently stated (January 2026) that "the resistance should never lay down its arms," and claimed that Israel's actions justify "a million October 7ths."