Calev Ben-David

The IDF's improvised countermeasure: going to Israeli fishermen and asking to use their nets. They're being hung in front of bases and tanks so the drones get tangled.

@kampeas And of course he blames Israel/Jews for his loss, & not Trump. x.com/Acyn/status/20…

I did not come away from this thinking Massie was worth anything near 7 years of contemplation, or this wordage - if I were Fuller’s editor I would have advised therapy - but on the other hand it’s a very fun read.

Javier Bardem went from playing one of Hollywood’s creepiest villains to becoming one of Israel’s loudest celebrity critics, and his latest Cannes comments only exposed the hypocrisy even more. For someone who talks so much about justice and blacklists, Bardem seems strangely selective about which victims deserve outrage and which hatred he’s willing to ignore.

Went live with @calevbd on @ILTVNews to discuss Pakistan’s strategic role in the Gulf, @Reuters story on Pakistan military presence in #SaudiArabia, and Islamabad’s broader role in regional security, diplomacy, and stability across the Middle East. #Pakistan #Iran #Islamabad @thewirepak @DanQayyum @omar_quraishi @Aadiiroy2 @asmashirazi @Salansar1 @AribaShahid @asiffshahzad @Saad_Scrawls @ajmaljami @Fahdhusain

“Kristof is now on the defensive because all of the indications show that much of this was orchestrated... by an organization which is known as a Hamas front.” NGO Monitor Pres @geraldngom discussed @NickKristof's reliance on Hamas-affiliated Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor in his @nytimes column. Interview with @ILTVNews 🔽

@AmitSegal youtube.com/shorts/_xigcln…

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir made an unannounced visit to a Nahal Brigade company in Sa-Nur—and what he found triggered immediate disciplinary action. A soldier wearing a “Messiah” patch on his vest was sentenced to 30 days in confinement. The platoon commander received a 14-day suspended sentence, and the company commander was formally reprimanded. The IDF says the incident wasn’t isolated, noting additional issues were uncovered within the unit.

EXCLUSIVE Interview With Israeli TV’s (KAN) Envoy To Eurovision @AmitHarari2 On The Atmosphere In Vienna And Noam Bettan’s Participation During Last Night’s Semi Final

@Megankstack Yeah, right. As they did with Kristof's claims about Dr. Steven Hatfill, Greg Mortenson, and of course Somaly Mam. Do you have even the slightest idea of what you are talking about? archive.nytimes.com/kristof.blogs.…

They want transcripts, recordings, photos, notes, text messages, anything to back up what you wrote. They get contacts for everyone I interview and call them and ask God knows what. I’ve had to put them in touch with my mom to verify details in a personal piece. They CHECK.

Completely false. Opinion fact checkers are tough and rigorous. I once had to defend describing a pair of trousers I’d described as “khaki” bc the fact checker scrutinizing the photo I’d sent to verify details thought “stone” was more accurate. Really you have no idea.

@NickKristof I presume your fact-checking process was the same when you printed the claim of Greg Mortenson & Somaly Mam. archive.nytimes.com/kristof.blogs.…

This is a hard article to read, but I hope you'll do so. I've spent some time reporting on widespread rape and other sexual violence of Palestinian male and female prisoners by Israeli authorities, and the article is now published. The assault victims were warned not to give speak of what they endured -- they were sometimes told they would be killed or raped if they gave interviews -- but they found the courage to do so. One man described being raped three times in a single day in Israeli prison, the third time after he tried to protest. A young woman said the guards would come in at the beginning of each shift and strip her naked and abuse her. Another reported that she was shown photos of herself being raped and warned they would be released unless she cooperated with Israeli intelligence. Even three children who had been detained told me they had been sexually abused. Look, whatever our position on the Middle East, we should be able to agree on being anti-rape. Sexual assaults were horrific when Israeli women were targeted on Oct. 7, and they're equally horrific when Israeli authorities use them against Palestinians day after day after day. We should be able to find common ground in opposing rape. Here's a gift link to the article: nytimes.com/2026/05/11/opi…

@NickKristof @shannonrwatts Presumably as well as you fact-checked the claims of Greg Mortenson & Somaly Mam. archive.nytimes.com/kristof.blogs.…

@shannonrwatts There's obviously a different standard in that opinion pieces carry opinions. But any piece adheres to facts and undergoes fact-checking. And opinion pieces include reporting as well as opinions, as mine have since I became a columnist in 2001.

Several people asked this question, so let me explain. I deeply believe the best opinion journalism is based on new reporting, so my columns are rooted in travel and reporting. In this case, I saw a story and pursued it, and because I'm a columnist it ran in the opinion section.

@kampeas Sounds thoughtful & engaging to me. youtube.com/watch?v=yhYsOW…

If I were invited to a dinner with Melanie Shiraz and Rama Duwaji politics expressly on the agenda I’d be nodding along with Shiraz, who is thoughtful and engaging. BUT: if I sit at a cafe and a stranger tells me “I find your politics disappointing” I am NOT engaging. Who would?

Miss Israel @MelanieShiraz opens up about her recent meeting with New York’s First Lady Rama Duwaji and the conversation that’s now getting attention online.

Watch my interview on @ILTVNews with @calevbd and @msf2018 Inside Trump’s Offer to Iran: Gaps, Implications, and Regional Fallout." youtube.com/live/H7oB69P9-…

@UlickMcGee2024 @RachelMoiselle Joyce was not being ironic --with the character of Mr. Deasy he was portraying one example of Irish anti-Semitism, & not the only one in `Ulysses' -- the `Citizen' in Chapter 12 (`Cyclops') is even worse.

@calevbd @RachelMoiselle You do know that Joyce was being ironic and also that Ulysses is a work of fiction, right?

I of course agree with the below from Jason. I am receiving a number of messages and comments claiming that Holocaust Awareness and I are being ‘disingenuous’ about the silence that ensues when Boy George asks the audience if they have ever met a Jew, because it’s just the reality that most Irish people haven’t. Aside from the fact that Holocaust Awareness Ireland explicitly stated that in their post…yes exactly? You’re so close to getting it. It’s obviously not Irish people’s fault that they have never met a Jew. It *is* Irish people’s fault that they continue to arrogantly deny any antisemitism problem here despite that fact. How on earth would they know? This wouldn’t be an issue if a vocal portion of Irish society had not made a very public point to position Ireland internationally as moral arbiters on Israel/Palestine and experts on what is and is not antisemitism. This is objectively laughable given that we are on the other side of the world and our Jewish population is under 3,000 people. This wouldn’t be an issue if Israel/Palestine didn’t completely dominate Irish media, which very obviously continues to present an unethically biased narrative in this regard: sanitising and ignoring violence against Israelis, amplifying antisemitic extremists and presenting them as human rights activists, cynically tokenising Jewish voices that don’t align with majority Jewish opinion in order to deny antisemitism here. This wouldn’t be an issue if the general Irish public, in the absence of personally knowing any Jews, just listened to the Irish Jewish community when they publicly describe their experiences and perspectives of antisemitism. Instead, the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland’s report on antisemitism was met with dismissal and suspicion. That’s the problem here.

NEW Wingate and the origins of the IDF. youtu.be/hXuCNwXa5Oo?si… @NLIsrael @ILTVNews @calevbd @ShaiBenari

Calev Ben-David and David Brinn discuss how 2026’s Independence Day in Israel brought a mix of celebration and somber reflection, as tensions with Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran continue to shape the nation's future. youtu.be/ELchKevU5TE?si…

The uncertain ceasefire and nuclear standoff: The Jerusalem Dispatch podcast hosts Calev Ben-David and Ruth Marks Eglash offer a window into daily life in Israel amid ongoing regional conflict, as well as broader strategic implications. jpost.com/podcast/jpost-…

No deal, no ceasefire can contain the Islamic Republic and its threat to the world. Joined @calevbd from @ILTVNews and Col. @COLRICHARDKEMP with the latest updates from Iran. youtu.be/eJ769m2wJSg?si…

And lost, spectacularly.