The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism on Wednesday released a report showing that one of the primary information sources relied upon by Pulitzer Prize winner Nicholas Kristof in an op-ed accusing Israeli security forces of committing rape and other sexual offenses against Palestinian Arabs is a research institute headed by a Hamas member against whom Israeli security forces issued an administrative detention order.
The report explains that the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor is registered in Switzerland and operates out of Geneva while presenting itself as a regional human rights body focused on the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe. The ministry stated that the organization’s actual operations are overwhelmingly focused on the Palestinian arena and anti-Israel activity.
The report said the organization operates through field documentation, submitting documents to UN mechanisms, and promoting legal proceedings in the international arena.
The organization provided the South African legal team at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) with evidentiary infrastructure supporting claims of genocide by Israel, including documentation of mass graves and evidence of alleged damage to the healthcare system.
The report identified Ramy Abdu as the founder and chairman of the organization. , Then-Defense Minister Benny Gantz signed an administrative detention order against Abdu in November 2020 under the Counter-Terrorism Law due to his activities as a board member of “IPalestine," which Israel designated as a terrorist organization affiliated with Hamas.
The ministry noted that the seizure order expired in August 2022.
The report cited a post published by Abdu on January 31, 2026, stating: “Israel will continue to kill and displace Palestinians under any circumstances, even if they are defenseless. Regardless of promises, our people and their resistance must never lay down their arms. Never."
It also cited a May 31, 2025 post by Abdu which stated: “If October 7 is perceived as a justification for genocide and displacement, then by that same logic, what Israel has done, the siege on Gaza, control over lives, killing hundreds every year in cold blood, decades of occupation, and the expansion of settlements, justifies a million October 7ths."
Richard Falk, Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University and chairman of the board of trustees of Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, previously served for six years as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories
Falk once stated that a people under prolonged occupation has a right to resistance anchored in international law, while emphasizing that resistance activities remain subject to the laws of war and do not permit the intentional targeting of civilians or the commission of atrocities.
The ministry’s report stated that Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor promotes allegations of “systematic sexual violence" and calls for Israel’s inclusion on a UN “blacklist." The report described this as particularly striking in light of criticism directed by the organization toward humanitarian groups such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor was behind the false libels claiming that Israelis harvested the organs of Gazan Arabs and it denied the since-proven rapes of helpless Israeli women during the massacre.
The ministry stated that the organization functions as a multi-layered system integrating field documentation, legal framing, international lobbying, broad media distribution and activist training.
The ministry stated that the organization extends its influence beyond reporting into decision-making circles, parliamentary discourse, international legal frameworks and global public opinion.
In addiition, the miniistry wrote, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor combines legal, media and digital activity, bridging field data collection with the preparation of legal documents and their dissemination in international forums. The report said the organization’s findings are used in international proceedings, including at the ICJ, and integrated into legal arguments and official deliberations.
The ministry further stated that the organization trains activists, builds civil networks and distributes digital content globally.
As part of these activities, the report said the organization operates the “WikiRights" project aimed at training editors and promoting content initiatives on Wikipedia, including WikiProject Human Rights.
These activities include involvement in editing and expanding entries related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including “Gaza Genocide" and “Nakba." The ministry stated that the organization’s publications describe reliance on an active community of editors promoting narratives in these fields on a platform with broad international reach.
The report added that editing of such entries is carried out by a wide variety of editors and is not limited solely to the organization’s activities. The organization’s leadership and senior officials express positions that include support for or justification of narratives identified with Hamas, alongside what it described as a reduction or total lack of criticism toward the group.
The report also cited significant transparency gaps regarding the organization’s funding sources and budgetary structure.
The ministry identified three central axes of action by the organization.
The first, according to the report, is institutionalizing legal activity in the international arena through systematic activity before the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), the ICJ and mechanisms of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The report stated that the organization utilizes procedural tools including written statements, official speeches and side events.
According to the ministry, although the organization’s request for independent consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) was rejected, it operates through partnerships with entities holding consultative status.
The report said the organization’s findings have been integrated into legal documents and international proceedings, including South Africa’s petition against Israel at the ICJ.
The second axis identified by the ministry was narrative shaping and message dissemination in digital and media spheres.
According to the report, the organization operates content initiatives including HuMedia and the We Are Not Numbers project, translating legal documentation into visual and narrative content tailored for social media and the international press.
The ministry stated that the organization’s findings are cited by media outlets including CNN, The Guardian and Al Jazeera, and distributed through UN humanitarian platforms such as ReliefWeb.
The report identified more than 400 academic citations of the organization’s publications.
The third axis identified in the report was building long-term infrastructure for personnel training and influence in open knowledge spaces.
It cited that hrough projects such as WikiRights, the organization operates within open knowledge platforms including Wikipedia, focusing on entries related to genocide, including “Gaza genocide" and “Nakba."
The report added that the organization runs training programs including the Summer School in Human Rights and the Youth for Rights Fellowship, aimed at cultivating activists and legal professionals active in the international arena.
These activities create an alumni network intended to ensure the continued resonance of legal and political narratives within academic and public frameworks.
Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Amichai Chikli said, “It is regrettable to hear that The New York Times, which for years served as a symbol of quality journalism, falls victim time and again to the Palestinians’ wholesale lies. The Euro-Med organization, which the newspaper chose to cite, is headed by none other than a Hamas member and terrorist involved in the ‘Gaza Tribunal’ initiatives, which work to promote international pressure against Israel."
Director General of the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Avi Cohen-Scali said, “The New York Times is providing a platform for the ideology of a murderous terrorist organization. The report reveals a method of operation that feeds lies, ideological agendas, and incitement against the State of Israel in an attempt to shape an anti-Israel and antisemitic narrative."
For the NGO Monitor investigative report on Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor, click here.