The charge, of course, is nonsense. Not just in this war, but in all the wars and campaigns that Israel has been forced to fight, no evidence has ever been provided to support a charge that the IDF “sexually abuses Palestinian women.” In fact, in the past the Israelis were accused of “racism” because IDF soldiers did not rape Palestinian girls and women.

A few days ago a certain unnamed State Department official, identified only as the holder of the Israeli-Palestinian portfolio at Foggy Bottom, in a meeting with an Israeli general, leveled that charge — absurd, grotesque, fantastical — that the IDF “sexually abuses Palestinian women.” These sexual assaults supposedly took place not just now and again, but “systematically,” presumably as a way to humiliate and terrorize the enemy (which, of course, is what Hamas did, among many other atrocities, on October 7).

Now it’s not just the Israelis who have rejected the charge, but Hamas, after conducting its own investigation, as well. 

Al Jazeera, which first reported the Hamas charge to the world, has backtracked, and now says, as of late on March 24, that “it was revealed through Hamas investigations that the story of the rape of women was fabricated.”

But let us return to the State Department official who did not question the original charge that IDF soldiers “raped Palestinian women.” More on the extreme anti-Israel animus she displayed can be found here: “US official accused IDF of sexually abusing Palestinian women, general says,” 103FM, March 24, 2024:

IDF Brig.-Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi met with the holder of the Israeli-Palestinian portfolio at the US State Department, who accused Israel of “systematically” sexually abusing Palestinian woman, the general explained in an interview on 103FM.

Recounting his meeting, he explained, “It was a meeting that shook me. We sat there, talked about the situation, and suddenly she accused Israel of systematically sexually abusing Palestinian women.”

“This is absolutely disconnected from reality. But without hesitation, she said, ‘The UN presented evidence to the Israeli government.’ I told her, ‘Does it make sense that this phenomenon would exist and the media would never have reported on it?’ I wanted there to be greater awareness… about what is really happening in the US State Department. In the end, I left there with the feeling that they simply don’t talk to us and don’t pass on any information.”

General Amir Avivi was flabbergasted at the charge. Clearly, he realized, Israel has a problem. Here is a ranking official at the State Department claiming that the UN presented evidence of IDF sexual violence toward Palestinians. But had it done so, according to General Avivi, it would have been widely reported, and it was not. The “evidence” for this charge of “systemic sexual abuse” by the IDF that was supposedly presented to Israel does not exist. The UN presented no evidence of any rapes. All it could come up with were claims collected by Hamas — that is known to write the scripts for Gazans to deliver to unsuspecting UN investigators — of “unwanted touching of intimate areas” and “prolonged forced nudity” in detention settings, during house raids, and at checkpoints after October 7. One would have to know who made these claims, how trustworthy were they — that is, what is their connection to Hamas — and exactly what went on to warrant the charge of “unwanted touching of intimate areas” and “prolonged forced nudity.” I am certain, for example, that if this “unwanted touching” took place at all, and was not a fiction dreamed up by Hamas, then it was conducted by female soldiers of the IDF, who were checking Palestinian women for hidden weapons and explosives. And female soldiers — never men — of the IDF would have been present if there was to be any “forced nudity” to do a more thorough check for weapons. But I think this latter charge is merely meant to echo the claim that some of the Palestinian males taken into custody were — for a short period — required to strip down to their underwear, so that a thorough search for weapons could be conducted.

The report said that no instances of rape against Palestinians were reported.

“When we meet with a State Department official holding the Israeli-Palestinian portfolio, every word she utters, as far as I’m concerned, is an official US position. Ultimately, she is a government official. When she says, for example, ‘You did not provide evidence that Hamas is stealing humanitarian aid and you are starving the population,’ what is she talking about? The IDF spokesperson shows [proof] every other day that Hamas is stealing food.

That State Department official might want to look at the visual evidence of such theft — the Gazans who have been brave enough to denounce Hamas for stealing humanitarian aid which it distributes to its own operatives, their extended families, and their clans. Such evidence can be found on YouTube. See here for one example. She could also view the videos of Hamas fighters frightening ordinary Gazans away from aid trucks so that Hamas can steal the aid, as here.

“You’re saying, guys, wake up and sit with these officials because they have a significant influence on what happens at the decision-maker level, and you will work to bridge the gaps.

“We will continue to meet with them, as we did with European Union officials, where many of the people we met said, ‘This is the first time we’re meeting an Israeli representative,’ even though it isn’t an official delegation. But we don’t have a big Foreign Ministry and not a lot of officials working abroad.”

In other words, no matter how ill-informed and malign these State Department officials turn out to be, the Israelis have to keep meeting with them, keep presenting the evidence that refutes their claims, keep trying to make them understand. For some, perhaps many, of them, the evidence does not matter. These are the people once known as the “State Department Arabists,” virulently anti-Israel, and often antisemitic, who have a long and dishonorable history in the U.S. State Department, going back to Assistant Secretary of State Breckenridge Long. During World War II, Long consistently made it almost impossible for desperate Jewish refugees to obtain American visas that might have saved their lives. After the Second World War, Arabists in the State Department continued to display their want of sympathy for the Jewish state. Their head was Loy Henderson, from 1945 to 1948 head of the of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, who worked to prevent American recognition of the new Jewish state. Fortunately, he failed.

But not everyone in the State Department is impervious to the evidence. The more contact the IDF and Israeli civilian officials can have with such people, the better. It’s understandable why, in the face of such malevolent credulity as is exhibited by this State Department official who met with General Avivi, that there would be a strong temptation to cease talking to such people. But they can influence how the American ambassador will vote at the UN, how much military aid for Israel will be granted, what conditions for a ceasefire and a release of hostages will be accepted and which denounced as delusional, what understanding the Americans will exhibit when the IDF reveals its plans for moving civilians out of Rafah, and whether they will understand the IDF’s plan to move Gazans about 1.5 kilometers away from the border with Israel.

So grit your teeth, military and civilian officials of the state of Israel, and keep talking with people in Washington, even those in the State Department. Keep chipping away at the nonsense and lies some of them have been parroting from Hamas’ playbook.

And remind them that Hamas itself investigated the charge made that IDF soldiers had raped Palestinian women, and found it to have been “fabricated.”

What does that woman from the State Department have to say about that admission by Hamas itself? Will she be apologizing to General Amir Avivi?

Sojourner Truth had the right idea: “The truth is strong, and will prevail.”