The New York Times is investigating an Israeli journalist who has written several articles for the newspaper, including a joint byline for the investigative report on the sexual violence of Hamas terrorists on October 7, after she liked a series of pro-Israel posts on social networks, including one that called for the transformation of Gaza "into a slaughterhouse" if the hostages held by Hamas are harmed.
Israeli sources have expressed concern that the newspaper's move would help deniers discredit the credibility of the reports of Hamas' sexual assaults.
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Journalist Anat Schwartz, 45, liked a tweet by Walla journalist David Mizrahy Verthaim on October 7, which, according to the newspaper, constitutes a violation of company policy.
"We are aware that a freelance journalist in Israel who has worked with The Times has 'liked' several social media posts. Those 'likes' are unacceptable violations of our company policy. We are currently reviewing the matter," the newspaper told Ynet late Sunday.
The New York Times policy regarding the conduct of its employees on social media warns that a post or like must not "express partisan views, promote political views, support candidates, make offensive comments or do anything else that undermines the journalistic reputation of The Times."
Schwartz began writing for the newspaper in November and focused mainly on the reactions of the Israeli public to the October 7 attack and the war that followed. She is also a filmmaker and in 2008 served as an assistant director to Ari Folman in the film "Waltz with Bashir," which won the Golden Globe Award and the César Award.
Since the investigation into the sexual assaults was published, Schwartz has been a target for pro-Palestinian media and network activists who monitored her history on the networks and discovered that she had liked various pro-Israel posts, such as the one in question by Verthaim posted on the day of the massacre, which allegedly caused her to violate the New York Times policy
"And after I talked about unity, one principle that needs to be abandoned today: proportionality. Need a disproportionate response. May Israel see what she is hiding in the basement," Varthaim tweeted. "If all the captives are not returned immediately, turn the strip into a slaughterhouse. If a hair falls from their head, execute security prisoners. Violate any norm on the way to victory. For them to be seen and be seen. The Jordanians did it to the Islamic state. I don't remember the king being rude. And who will tell us something? Russia killing the Ukrainians? China? Or maybe Western Europe that allowed Azerbaijan to ethnically cleanse 100,000 people at night. World War II ended with the USA inflicting a holocaust on Hiroshima, and even before giving the Japanese a chance to digest, dropped another bomb on Nagasaki, while promising that every Japanese city would be destroyed until surrender. The Japanese were no less crazy than the Arabs. Arel Segal did not take over my account. Those in front of us are human animals who do not hesitate to violate minimal rules, including the murder of medical staff and babies. This is not passed on.'
After Schwartz's online history became public, she temporarily suspended her accounts and later deleted much of the content in question. Journalists and activists of the pro-Palestinian network approached the New York Times and called for her to be suspended. They also publicly wondered: "What would happen if The Times suddenly hired a Palestinian filmmaker with no journalistic background, who recently publicly 'liked' posts that called for 'throwing Israeli Jews into the sea,' to participate in writing some of its' most sensitive and controversial reports?'
The American newspaper's investigation, which lasted two months, revealed difficult details about sexual assaults during October 7 and revealed that the sexual assaults were not an isolated incident, but rather that a widespread pattern of sexual violence took place on that Saturday. The investigation is based on videos, photos, GPS data and interviews with more than 150 people, including eyewitnesses, medical personnel, soldiers and counselors for victims of sexual assault. The investigation identified seven different places where women and girls were raped or sexually assaulted.