Putting aside the bias of Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor<\/a>, a Geneva-based advocacy group that the NYT gently points out is \u201coften critical of Israel,\u201d the newspaper\u2019s long-time columnist Nicholas Kristof seems to have become confused about whether he is an opinion writer or a news reporter, and has gone ahead and dabbled in a bit of field reporting himself.<\/p>\n And why not? In a post-factual world, it seems, anything is acceptable. An opinion piece can be an investigation with unverified claims and a half-hearted attempt to get a response from the accused party. It can also feature clearly bogus claims that Israel has trained dogs to rape Palestinian prisoners<\/a> held in its jails.<\/p>\n While the impossible assertion about dogs has been shared broadly in recent weeks by anti-Israel conspiracy theorists on social media, to see it displayed front and center in a New York Times article, peddled by one of its most-trusted columnists and featured prominently on the powerful media outlet\u2019s website, is mind-blowing.<\/p>\n In this tumultuous post-October 7 period of war and violence, there are Palestinian prisoners \u2013 many of whom were involved directly in the atrocities carried out in Israel on that horrific day \u2013 who report being treated roughly, abused, and even raped.<\/p>\n It must also be said that Israel\u2019s prison service, now under the command of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a proud racist, has been called on to take a harsher stance in its handling of Palestinian prisoners, and, likely, any such despicable acts have gone either unacknowledged or unpunished.<\/p>\n Yet Sari Bashi, an Israeli-American human rights lawyer who is the executive director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, and who was interviewed for Kristof\u2019s opinion column, points out that there is no \u201cevidence that it has been ordered.\u201d She said she believes, however, that there is \u201cpersistent evidence that the authorities know it\u2019s happening and are not stopping it.\u201d<\/p>\n ‘It’s impossible to know how common sexual assaults against Palestinians are’<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1778606771_963_720602.jpeg\"\/)
The New York Times building in Manhattan, New York City, pictured September 16, 2025; illustrative. (credit: REUTERS\/Kylie Cooper\/File Photo)<\/p>\n