Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis instructed his staff to cancel their New York Times subscriptions in response to what he described as a series of "false blood libels" published by the newspaper, according to a statement released on Friday.
“I have ordered the Israeli Consulate in New York to cancel its subscription to The New York Times, a newspaper that consistently demonizes and delegitimizes the Jewish State,” Akunis said.
“The New York Times is a newspaper that consistently publishes false blood libels against the State of Israel, often based on ‘anonymous’ sources. When citing named sources, the paper conveniently turns to anti-Israel activists, and even Hamas terrorists who seek Israel’s destruction, to reinforce the narrative they want to promote,” Akunis added.
While Akunis didn't name a specific article, the Times published a piece Friday morning in which Gaza flotilla activists claimed to have been abused at the hands of Israeli authorities following their latest attempt to breach Israel's blockade of Gaza. In it, activists described being beaten, shot at with rubber bullets, and being verbally abused by Israeli soldiers and guards.
New York Times has been in spotlight before over perceived anti-Israel bias
The article is the latest in a series of reports on Israel that have fueled accusations from critics that the newspaper displays an anti-Israel bias. Most notably, a May opinion piece by contributor Nick Kristof accused Israel of using dogs to rape Palestinian detainees, citing anonymous witnesses.
Kristof's piece was published a day before the Civil Commission's nearly 300-page report on sexual violence during the October 7 massacres was due to be released, prompting accusations that the NYT had sought to blunt the report's impact.
"This is false," wrote the Times in a statement that same day, further claiming that it wasn't informed in advance of the report's completion or time of release.
Israel condemned the piece, dubbing it a "blood libel." Soon after, the Times issued another statement of support for Kristof's work.
In response to rumors that the NYT was readying to retract the piece, the newspaper defended Kristof as one of the world's "best on-the-ground reporters documenting and bearing witness to sexual abuse" in combat zones.
Within days of its publication, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was considering legal action against The New York Times over the accusations in the article. The newspaper said in response that any lawsuit aiming to "undermine independent reporting" would be "without merit."