The backlash to revelations of sexual torture of Palestinian prisoners aims to raise the cost of speaking out | Yuli Novak

"Since October 2023, this body of evidence has revealed a horrific reality: Israel's prison system has been transformed into a criminal network of torture camps. In his reporting, Kristof documented harrowing testimonies from Palestinian men, women and children describing widespread sexual abuse, rape and humiliation by Israeli soldiers, prison guards, settlers and interrogators."

"Israel's response to the reporting followed a familiar script: deny the abuse, lash out at those who document it, and protect the system that made it possible. The ministry of foreign affairs dismissed the New York Times piece as Hamas propaganda and has gone so far as to declare that Israel will sue the New York Times."

"Other officials and commentators reached for the familiar charge of blood libel, called for the New York Times to be shut down, and broadly did everything in their power to delegitimize not only the work of Kristof, a world-renowned journalist who has covered sexual abuse in conflicts across the globe, but that of anyone trying to bring this abuse to light."

"Their collective meltdown is not only about denying specific allegations. It is about controlling what can be seen, who can be heard, and whose pain is allowed to enter the public realm. B'Tselem, the Israeli human rights organization I lead, has documented this system through testimonies from released Palestinian detainees who were held in various Israeli facilities."

Accounts describe sexual torture of Palestinians in Israeli custody, including widespread sexual abuse, rape, and humiliation by soldiers, prison guards, settlers, and interrogators. Evidence has been reported for years by former detainees, lawyers, doctors, and journalists, and documented by human rights organizations. Since October 2023, the accumulated evidence portrays Israel’s prison system as a criminal network of torture camps. Israel’s response is described as denying abuse, attacking those who document it, and defending the system enabling it. Officials dismiss reporting as propaganda, threaten legal action, and use accusations intended to delegitimize coverage. The described goal is controlling visibility, access to voices, and whether victims’ pain enters public view.

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