Israel is threatening to sue the New York Times over a Nicholas Kristof report on the sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, a move likely meant to intimidate rather than win in court.

• Kristof's column described widespread sexual violence against Palestinian detainees by Israeli soldiers, settlers, and prison guards.
• Netanyahu ordered legal action against the Times, but foreign governments rarely have standing in US defamation cases and proving malice is very hard.
• Israeli TV and politicians have openly defended or joked about raping Palestinian detainees, including a Likud lawmaker saying "everything is legitimate."
• The Israeli "civil commission" report claiming Hamas systematically used rape on October 7 turns out to be the work of one person with a history of spreading false stories.
• Outside surveillance footage from Israeli homes near Gaza was reportedly deleted by the government, raising questions about what evidence was lost.

Outlook: The lawsuit will likely never go forward because discovery would expose more damaging evidence, but the threat itself is designed to chill further reporting.