On May 11, the newspaper published pro-Hamas propaganda on its front page.
In his opinion piece titled "The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians," author Nicholas Kristof argues that allegations of sexual violence against Palestinians by Israeli forces and prison personnel deserve the same international condemnation and attention given to sexual violence committed in other conflicts.
Scott Jennings, senior political contributor for CNN and one of the nation's most well-known conservative commentators, says it was printed to distract from a legitimately sourced report that is considered the most comprehensive body of evidence yet of the sexual and gender-based violence Hamas committed against women, men and children on Oct. 7, 2023, which was published the next day.
"The New York Times knew this was coming out, and they knew this story was going to be bad, terrible for Hamas," he says. "So the night before, what did they choose to do? Print this garbage."
He calls the opinion piece "nothing short of a blood libel against Israel" and "the usual slop to cover up for the terrorists."
"It is sourced to discredit pro-Hamas people," Jennings adds.
The Civil Commission on October 7 Crimes Against Women and Children was established to document and raise international awareness of the war crimes and gender-based violence committed during the Oct. 7 attacks and in captivity.
The Commission has developed a dedicated war crimes archive to systematically collect, preserve and analyze evidence. Built by a multidisciplinary team of researchers, legal experts, and trauma specialists, the archive serves as both a memorial and a rigorously documented historical record.
In contrast, Jennings says The New York Times piece contains unverified reports of unprintable atrocities concocted by Hamas to rile up antisemitic sentiment, and he insists the Pulitzer Prize-winning publication committed journalistic malpractice.
"How can The New York Times not retract the piece, apologize, and fire everyone responsible for this insanity?" Jennings wonders.
Like other archives of this kind, the Commission's material will not be accessible to the public for a set period of time to protect the privacy of the victims.
