The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and its New York chapter (CAIR-NY) today condemned a pro-Israel rally held outside the headquarters of The New York Times to deny the reported and verified rapes of Palestinian detainees by Israeli guards in detention facilities. CAIR also called on New York state and city officials to condemn the rally.
The rally comes following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement of a defamation lawsuit against the New York Times for journalist Nicholas Kristof’s May 11 opinion column, which detailed accounts from 14 former Palestinian detainees of beatings, forced nudity, rape with objects, and a reported incident of sexual torture involving a dog. A UN report has verified multiple instances of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees since October 2023.
WATCH: Several hundred demonstrators outside the New York Times to protest Kristof column
In a statement, CAIR and CAIR-NY said:
“While mass rallies to defend the rape of Palestinian detainees maybe customary in Israel, such vile displays are not welcome in American cities. Nicholas Kristof did nothing other than report on what those who have endured the horrors of Israeli detention camps experienced. The fact that these demonstrators are calling for him to be punished for doing so demonstrates the inherent immorality of their position.
“We urge the New York Times to stand by their reporter and not cave in to the demands of a mob of rape and genocide apologists. We also call on elected officials in New York and nationwide, who for years condemned and slandered anti-genocide protestors, to speak out against this abhorrent rally.”
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CONTACT: Afaf Nasher, Esq. CAIR-NY Executive Director, ANasher@cair.com; CAIR-NY Communications Team, comms@ny.cair.com; CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com