May 20, 2026 | Franc Tireur
A Problem at the Source
The newspaper continues to discredit itself by publishing deeply slanted reporting, much of it drawn from an organization whose founder openly supports Hamas.
May 20, 2026 | Franc Tireur
A Problem at the Source
The newspaper continues to discredit itself by publishing deeply slanted reporting, much of it drawn from an organization whose founder openly supports Hamas.
*This article was originally published in French
Excerpt
It started with a Nicholas Kristof column in The New York Times alleging widespread sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners. Among the claims: dogs allegedly trained to rape detainees. The story spread instantly — amplified in France by Rima Hassan and activists from Radio Nova.
Let’s be clear: there are real concerns about detention conditions in Israel, particularly since far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir took office. The scandal at Sde Teiman, where Israeli reservists were filmed sexually abusing a detainee, rightly caused outrage inside Israel itself. This was a serious subject deserving rigorous, carefully sourced reporting.
Simone Rodan-Benzaquen is senior envoy for Europe at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).