In a 2023 paper entitled “Prison Rape and Sexual Assault: Prevalence, Vulnerabilities and System Responses Current Guidelines” by Kylee Synovec & April N. Terry of Fort Hays State University in Hays, Kansas the authors noted that “According to a US Department of Justice report, more than 200,000 incarcerated persons are sexually assaulted in the United States every year.”

The report continued: “Some incarcerated people are at greater risk for prison sexual abuse, including groups such as women, those identifying as LGTBTQ , and youth. Prison rape and sexual assault is not limited to inmate-on-inmate abuse; rather, studies find equivalent offending rates for both incarcerated people and facility staff. Many barriers exist to reporting the abuse, including, but not limited to, being ashamed, fearing the perpetrator’s response, and concern for retaliation by staff. If an incarcerated person makes a report, perpetrators are rarely punished. “

This perspective is important for an understanding, but certainly not acceptance, of the issue of alleged sexual abuse in Israeli prisons as described in yesterday’s New York Times op-ed by Nicholas Kristof entitled: “The Silence That Meets the Rape of Palestinians”

Chicago native Kristof is not a lightweight. A respected American journalist and political commentator, he has won two Pulitzer Prizes, is a regular CNN contributor and an op-ed columnist for The New York Times.

In his piece he writes:  “… in wrenching interviews,........

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