New York Times Removes Controversial Text Questioning October 7 Victims

The New York Times has removed a sentence from an article that questioned whether Israelis were victims of the October 7th Hamas attacks, attributing the phrasing to an "editorial error." The newspaper issued an apology after the text, published Monday, stated that "Israelis still largely see themselves as victims of October 7th." This wording sparked significant backlash, with CAMERA's Israeli branch director Tamar Sternthal criticizing it as suggesting the victims' status was merely an Israeli perception rather than a fact. CNN commentator Scott Jennings also condemned the passage as "abhorrent."

The newspaper explained that the original phrasing "mistakenly implied that the experience of Israelis as victims of terror is a matter of perception." This incident adds to a series of controversies surrounding the Times' coverage of the war. A recent academic study by Professor Adiel Pincas of Yale University's School of Management analyzed 1,559 articles published between October 7, 2023, and June 7, 2024. The study found a systematic bias against Israel, with the newspaper allegedly downplaying Israeli casualties and Palestinian violence while emphasizing suffering in Gaza.

Another controversy arose in May when an opinion piece by Nicholas Kristof accused Israeli soldiers and prison guards of systematic sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners, including the alleged use of dogs for rape. The Israeli government announced it would file a lawsuit against the newspaper following that publication.