Mark Horowitz

Swamped by war and tragedy, mundane life in Israel still goes on. I was in Tel Aviv last week and tried to capture a little bit of the mood. airmail.news/sh/rlh5pr via @airmailweekly

@CptAllenHistory @IsraelMFA I’m afraid threatening a lawsuit is a stupid response.

Good for you @IsraelMFA. As a lawyer & historian, I’ve spent years studying both defamation law and the long, dark history of blood libels against Jews. The New York Times’ decision to publish Nicholas Kristof’s May 11 column, “The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians,” is one of the most disgraceful acts of journalistic malpractice in recent memory. The piece does not merely report allegations. It elevates unverified claims—drawn heavily from the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, whose founder Ramy Abdu has been flagged by Israeli authorities since 2013 as linked to Hamas fronts in Europe—into an accusation of systematic, state-orchestrated sexual violence by Israeli soldiers and prison guards. This includes the grotesque claim that guards trained dogs to rape detainees. This is not opinion journalism. It is a modern blood libel. A blood libel has always been the same thing: a fabricated accusation that Jews, acting as a group or on behalf of some supposed “policy,” commit ritualistic atrocities—murder, torture, rape—against non-Jews. Medieval Europe saw Jews accused of using Christian blood in Passover matzah; those lies triggered pogroms and expulsions. The Protocols of the Elders of Zion updated the script for the 20th century. Kristof’s piece does exactly that in 2026. It takes contested detainee accounts, many sourced from Euro-Med, and frames them as evidence of an “organized state policy.” It then creates a false moral equivalence with Hamas’s documented, systematic sexual atrocities on October 7—published deliberately on the eve of a new independent report by the Civil Commission that confirmed those Hamas crimes as “systematic, widespread, and integral” to the attack. The Times calls this “deeply reported.” It is not. It is the inversion of documented truth into a weaponized lie that endangers Jewish lives worldwide. The State of Israel has now expressed its intention to defend the honor and reputation of its soldiers and its institutions against defamation. Under Israeli law, this case is far more viable than many assume. The Defamation (Prohibition) Law of 1965 defines a defamatory statement broadly: anything likely to degrade, ridicule, or injure a person or group in their profession or standing. Truth is a defense, but the burden is on the defendant to prove both the truth of the claims and that they were published responsibly. The Times would have to show it acted in good faith after reasonable verification—something made difficult by its reliance on a source long flagged for terror connections and by the timing that appears designed to bury Hamas’s own record of rape. Israeli courts can assert jurisdiction because the reputational harm is felt by the State and its people, and the Times maintains a physical presence and correspondents in Israel. If the case is pursued in U.S. courts, where the First Amendment sets a particularly high bar under New York Times v. Sullivan, the suit does not collapse at the first motion. Israel would have to show the paper acted with “actual malice”—knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the truth—but that standard still allows the case to advance to discovery. And that’s a big kicker. There is no way the New York Times wants to be subject to discovery in this case. In fact, one could argue that obtaining discovery is reason enough for Israel to file suit in the United States. Suddenly, Israel would have subpoena power to examine internal Times documents on how Euro-Med was vetted, what editors knew about its Hamas ties, and why this piece was rushed out when it was. Absent a protective order of confidentiality—which feels unlikely in a case of this public importance—all of that information could become public. So you see, this is not symbolic theater. It is Israel finally drawing a line after years of unchecked propaganda disguised as prestige journalism. Lies of this magnitude do not fade; they fuel real violence, just as their medieval predecessors did. By forcing the record into the light of sworn testimony, the State of Israel is doing what civilized societies must: refusing to let a blood libel stand unchallenged. The fight for truth is never easy, but it is necessary.

The promise of Israel…

@jpodhoretz @rkylesmith I’d move 1883 up one notch. 1923 got off to a slow and awkward start in first season.

@rkylesmith Landman, 1923, 1883, Yellowstone, Madison, mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa king, bass reeves

What is the correct ranking of Taylor Sheridan shows?

@JasonBeeferman @jacobkornbluh @katz_morris @MicahLasher Katz is a Zionist now! Baruch hashem. I feel bad for the Mayor.

ALSO: yes, that's @katz_morris in the background. The Mamdani strategist is now supporting @MicahLasher

The Klu Klux Klan used to march through black neighbourhoods in the 50s and 60s, seeking to intimidate black residents and assert white supremacy. Now antisemites march through Jewish neighbourhoods, seeking to intimidate Jewish residents and assert anti-Jew supremacy. It was racism then and it’s racism now.

If his goal was just to powerfully expose and criticize Israeli policies, there were more than enough verifiable stories and credible charges to make a strong column, but @NickKristof chose to pin his case to the least credible but most incendiary-sounding sources instead, as @elikowaz points out here. That’s bad journalism. It discredits @timesopinion. open.substack.com/pub/kowaz/p/kr…

Worth a read for some insight into the poor quality of debate over Israel and Gaza that is going on in universities today.

Again, I will note that NYC’s mayor announced his support for this protest before and after the event. Another turning point.

Morton Schapiro served for more than 22 years as President of Northwestern University and Williams College. He taught almost 7,000 undergraduates over his more than 40 years as an economics professor. But Georgetown law students protested against having him speak at their commencement so he withdrew. Why did they object to him? Because he is a Jew and a Zionist.

@jpodhoretz I’m glad to hear he’s not a Nazi. But I was going to vote for him anyway, because he doesn’t beat his wife. Or strangle kittens.

So you're saying an anti-Zionist Jew from Brooklyn who is providing cover for a left-wing Nazi is going to have a positive effect on independent Maine voters. Tell me when to stop laughing, Garance.

@VerminusM Details, details…

The Middle East was peaceful before Israel, except: Armenian Genocide 1915 Greek Genocide 1913 Assyrian Genocide 1915 Lebanon Famine 1915 Italo-Turkish War 1911 Turkish War of Independence 1919 Franco-Syrian War 1920 Iraqi Revolt 1920 Druze Revolt 1925 Anglo-Iraqi War 1941...

On Brahms Birthday Charlie Chaplin The Great Dictator Barber Shop Scene Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No.5

@RachelMoiselle @simonmontefiore The bitter symbolism of this moment, is it perfectly represents the dilemma of those seeking coexistence rather than war. In the west, at least, the desire for a war of annihilation is clearly on the rise. Where is that supposed to leave supporters of bridge-building and peace?

Beautiful Danielle Waldman, daughter of Eyal Waldman. She was murdered on October 7th by Hamas terrorists at just 24 years old. May her memory be a blessing. Prior to October 7th, Eyal opened a design centre in Gaza, donated $360,000 to a hospital there, and created jobs for Palestinians both in the Gaza Strip and in the West Bank. When asked if he regretted this decision after his daughter’s murder, his response was as follows: ‘No, I don't. I think we need to do everything we can to make this place the best place to live in. And we need to stop killing each other and find a way to live together. I have been working for two-and-half decades trying to make peace.’ A tragedy indeed that a man of such profound goodness - whom we all should endeavour to emulate - is treated with such hatred and contempt.

Abbas advisor Mahmoud Al-Habbash: Hamas wants to keep control of Gaza "even over the skulls of children." Says the group uses violence, extortion, and arrests, and doesn't care about destruction. Called October 7 "accursed."

@b_judah And the absurdity of the “white supremacy” nonsense we still have to contend with in debate.

Tragedy of intra-Semitic loathing is not knowing who either of these characters are you’d probably guess the woman on the left was Jewish and the one on the right Arab.

@acobasi “From the river to the sea…We don’t want no two states, we want all of ‘48.” Definitely agree that’s ethnic cleansing, if that’s what you meant.

New Mayoral territory: expressing opposition to ethnic cleansing. Long overdue for that in New York City.

BREAKING: Barricades clashes continue between anti Israel protesters and the NYPD during the march from Park East Synagogue "Land Sale" event.

Welcome to Mamdani’s New York. He opposed protection of schools and places of worship. But earlier today, Mayor announced he supported the protesters’ goals. They’ve already been chanting, “We don’t want two states, we want all of ‘48.” Now scuffles breaking out. What’s next? x.com/ScooterCasterN…

But our mayor has taken time out of his busy day to issue a statement in support of the protests! We are in some new territory now.