Therawstory.com has a brief article on Pat Oliphant’s recent Israel-Gaza political cartoon. This cartoon in turn inspired Abraham Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to blow a Semitic gasket. Foxman released the following statement:
“Pat Oliphant’s outlandish and offensive use of the Star of David in combination with Nazi-like imagery is hideously anti-Semitic. It employs Nazi imagery by portraying Israel as a jack-booted, goose-stepping headless apparition. The implication is of an Israeli policy without a head or a heart.”
First of all, when you put the Star of David on your national flag, it’s going to be used in satire. Sorry. Secondly, Isreali and Jewish are not the same thing, no matter how much you’d love people to believe so, in order to stifle criticism of Isreali policy by accusations of racism. Finally, Isreali policy toward the Gaza strip has been without head or heart. It’s starting to smell like genocide.
If Mr. Foxman would only reach upward, gripping his buttocks firmly and pushing as hard as he can, he would eventually hear a popping noise, followed by the clear vision to see just how accurate this cartoon’s underlying message really is.
