NGO Monitor on Tuesday sharply criticized New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof’s opinion piece “The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians,” accusing him of relying on activist organizations it says have anti-Israel agendas and, in the case of Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, alleged links to Hamas.

Kristof’s May 11 column alleged a pattern of sexual abuse of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers, settlers, Shin Bet interrogators, and prison guards, citing interviews with Palestinians and reports by nongovernmental organizations, including Euro-Med Monitor. Israeli officials and pro-Israel watchdogs quickly denounced the column, saying it elevated unverified claims and relied on compromised sources.

In a backgrounder circulated in response, NGO Monitor said Kristof’s piece “relies heavily on quotes and citations from NGOs” that it says have a “discrediting anti-Israel agenda.” The group focused much of its criticism on Euro-Med Monitor, which Kristof described as “a Geneva-based advocacy group often critical of Israel.” NGO Monitor said that the description omitted what it alleges are Euro-Med Monitor’s Hamas ties, including claims that founder Ramy Abdu was identified by Israel in 2013 as one of Hamas’ “main operatives and institutions” in Europe and that Euro-Med officials were photographed with senior Hamas figures.

NGO Monitor also accused Euro-Med Monitor of circulating what it called anti-Israel libels, including allegations that Israel harvested organs and trained dogs to rape Palestinians. The dog allegation appeared in Kristof’s column and became one of the main targets of criticism from Israeli officials, commentators, and analysts.

The Israel Prison Service rejected the allegations, saying, “The allegations raised are false and entirely unfounded.” It said prisoners are held “in accordance with the law” and under official oversight. Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the column “one of the worst blood libels ever to appear in the modern press,” while Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter said complaints of unlawful conduct should be submitted to investigative bodies for review.

NGO Monitor also questioned Kristof’s use of other organizations, including Save the Children, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, B’Tselem, Breaking the Silence, and the Norwegian Refugee Council. In its backgrounder, the group said some surveys and claims cited in the column could not be independently verified or came from organizations it considers politically biased.

Prof. Gerald M. Steinberg, the founder and president emeritus of NGO Monitor, also pointed to timing, noting that The Times published Kristof’s column hours before wider attention turned to Silenced No More, a Civil Commission report documenting sexual violence committed during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack and against hostages in Gaza. That report cited more than 430 interviews, testimonies, and meetings, and reviewed more than 10,000 photographs and video segments.

 

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