On June 16, 2026, The New York Times published an opinion column by Azadeh Moaveni, a journalist and New York University professor. Moaveni’s column, titled “How Tehran Won the World,” included a basic misidentification of Israel’s capital. Using the journalistic practice of identifying a country by its capital, Moaveni wrote that “the governments in Washington and Tel Aviv” attempted to bring about regime change in Iran (emphasis added).
Jerusalem, not Tel Aviv, is Israel’s capital and the country’s seat of power. Israel claimed Jerusalem as capital in two proclamations by Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, issued on Dec. 5 and 13, 1949. Ben Gurion also urged the Knesset—Israel’s parliament—to relocate from Tel Aviv, where it was temporarily located because of the 1948 war, to Jerusalem.
On Jan. 23, 1950, the Knesset adopted a declaration that states Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish state. A part of the declaration reads:
Whereas with establishment of the state of Israel, Jerusalem once more becomes the capital; Whereas practical difficulties which caused the Knesset and government institutions to be temporarily housed elsewhere have now for the most part been removed and the government is carrying out the transfer of its institutions to Jerusalem; The Knesset expresses the wish that construction of the seat of the government and Knesset in Jerusalem proceed speedily on the site allotted by the government for this purpose.
Despite the Knesset’s declaration, most member states of the United Nations do not recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. They maintain that Jerusalem’s fate will be determined in final status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, which would presumably include settling who holds sovereignty over the city.
CAMERA contacted the Times on June 18, 2026, requesting a correction to Moaveni’s column. CAMERA noted that the Times previously corrected this point in 2022. CAMERA also mentioned other media outlets which have likewise corrected the identical error. These outlets include The Associated Press, Reuters (multiple times), The Hill, Fox, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, Deutsche Welle, CNN and Alhurra in Arabic, NPR, and many others.
On June 30, the Times’ opinion section rejected the correction request, noting that although Israel claims Jerusalem as capital, and although the U.S. recognizes this claim, Jerusalem is a “contested site” and is not recognized as Israel’s capital “by most observers and authorities.”
While the Times assertions are technically correct, they fail to account for the other considerations. If Jerusalem is not Israel’s capital, which city is? On what consistent and universal basis can this determination be made?
Further undermining its excuse, the Times report referred to “governments in Washington and Tel Aviv.” But the Israeli national government does not reside in Tel Aviv; it resides in Jerusalem, where the Knesset (parliament), the prime minister’s office, and the Supreme Court are all located. Regardless of its status as capital, Jerusalem is undeniably Israel’s seat of power.
The Times stands by its article as it is currently published. This decision not only maintains a serious factual error but also presents a host of other issues for the outlet should it continue to take this stance in the future.
For the Hebrew version of this article, please see CAMERA Hebrew.