The New York Times is defending its reporting on Israel after one of its star columnists penned an opinion piece which Israel calls one of the worst blood libels ever published and after a freelancer for the paper apparently tried to placate anti-Israel protesters by holding up a paper, upon which he wrote, “Have you read Kristof?”

Nicholas Kristof and the paper have drawn widespread criticism for his recent column, in which he accused Israel, among other things, of training dogs to rape Palestinian prisoners. Video footage circulated on social media apparently showing Times freelancer Nate Schweber holding the handwritten sign up, asking protesters, who seemed to call him “trash” and “garbage,” if they had seen the Kristof column.

New York City Police Department officers appeared to be present at the scene, outside the Young Israel of Midwood in Brooklyn, on Monday, according to the footage. A detective wearing a badge and plainclothes seemed to ask the man, who wore a press badge, if he wanted to report on the story or be the story. (JNS sought comment from the NYPD and the freelancer.)

“They say ‘F— the New York Times.‘ I think I can ask if they read the remarkable story that Nick Kristof wrote in today’s paper about sexual violence against Palestinians,” the man with the press badge says. “They should be interested in that. I think that’s a fair question”

A spokesman for the Times confirmed to JNS that Schweber was present on Monday night in Brooklyn for the paper.

“Yes. Nate Schweber is a freelance reporter for the Times,” the spokesman told JNS.

“The Times’ coverage of the Israel-Hamas war has been revealing, honest and unflinching,” the spokesman for the paper said. “Despite the attacks on our coverage from opposing directions on a near-daily basis, we will not let critics or advocacy campaigns deter us from such independent reporting.”

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