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‘Economist’ pulls cartoon showing Obama shackled to Congress bearing Star of David

 

Economist cartoon, since removed
Economist cartoon, since removed

 

This cartoon was published by the Economist to accompany an article about threats to the Iran deal. The cartoon unleashed criticism. (Per the JTA and the Times of Israel). 

And the Economist now has this afterword to the story:

“The print edition of this story had a cartoon which inadvertently caused offense to some readers, so we have replaced it with a photograph.”

The Anti-Defamation League’s Abe Foxman called on the Economist to issue a “full-throated apology” for publishing the cartoon.

The Economist cannot repair the damage of publishing an anti-Semitic image with only half-measures. …

This was nothing less than a visual representation of the age-old anti-Semitic canard of Jewish control. And it conjures up yet another classic anti-Semitic myth — the accusation that Jews have “dual loyalty” and will act only on behalf of Israel to the detriment of their own country.  This is the stuff of the “Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion,” recycled for a modern-day audience with a wink and a nod to Professors Mearsheimer and Walt and Jimmy Carter.

The Economist already has a credibility problem when it comes to Israel. The fact that this cartoon passed editorial muster without raising red flags raises serious questions about its editorial judgment and the possibility of a more deeply ingrained bias against the Jewish State.

I got this pin from AIPAC. Is it anti-Semitic?

AIPAC lapel pin
AIPAC lapel pin

Foxman smeared political scientists Steve Walt and John Mearsheimer and former president Jimmy Carter for talking about the Israel lobby.

While he’s at it, why doesn’t he land on Jon Stewart for being anti-Semitic? As The Washington Post explains Stewart’s sketch last week:

He asks, reasonably: Why are 59 senators pushing for a sanctions bill that most observers seem to think will actually set back the bill’s goal? He argues that this is explained by the nefarious behind-the-scenes lobbying of pro-Israel groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Lesson: You’re not allowed to debate this political issue with any of the tools you bring to other debates (criticism, anger, satire, contempt, exaggeration). And you’re not allowed to talk about the Israel lobby if you’re not Jewish.

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Disappointed that the Economist whimped out under pressure.

The Star of David imagary is tricky, though. If it was a Star of David on Obama’s every move, all domestic and all foreign, it would be anti-Semitic(as well as absurd, as if Jews controlled US policy towards China or Obama’s education policy).

But in this context, when it comes to Iran, it’s simply true that the Israel lobby(or Jewish lobby as they say in Israel) is behind the pressure. There is no other constituency.

To deny this is completely ridiculous and the Economist should have stood by their cartoonist and explained this.
Because Foxman can’t argue on the facts, of course it’s (organized) Jewish pressure bearing on Obama.

He’s just outraged that people like him are being called on it.

I’ve never had much time for ‘The Economist’ and now I have even less. They should not have self-censored, certainly not at the behest of the odious professional offenderato Abe Foxmann. People do not have a right not to be ‘offended’. I have no doubt that if it were Muslims or Palestinians who were ‘offended’, we’d hear the usual schtick about the sacredness of ‘freedom of speech’ and how Muslims need to learn how ‘we in the West’ respect freedom of expression above all else.

Some groups’ convenient ‘sensitivities’ are more precious than others.

I had to look real hard to find the Star of David on the US seal. Would not have noticed it without bewing told to look for it.
Shows you how obsessed I-First is with scannning and examining every possible thing in public view.

The two flags pin isnt anti semitic, its anti American in its message that Israel is part of the US. No politicians wear a pin with the Star and Stripes and the Flag of France or England or Saudi on their lapels.

This was nothing less than a visual representation of the age-old anti-Semitic canard of Jewish control.

that’s just not true. there are at least 2 other/5-pointed stars on that congress seal also. so it’s up to the viewer to determine the 6 pointed star is controlling the others, but the graphic doesn’t say that. it does say obama is bound by congress and for sure the intent of aipac is to impact congress, so what’s the beef?

the economist shouldn’t have folded. and if foxman is so concerned about an ” age-old anti-Semitic canard ” then he should be lecturing aipac&friends to get their noses out of our legislation. but to act the way they do (lobbiest) and then moan about the response of regular people being pissed lobbiest have more pull on congress than regular citizens (and that is the point of lobbiests) is hypocritical. enough w/this BS, call a spade a spade.

Israel chooses to have as its flag the Star of David. The most obvious way for a cartoonist to signify a connection to Israel is to use its flag symbol. If the cartoon had pictured a menorah, Foxman might have had more justification for this silly outburst. Then the cartoonist might be suggesting that Congress is mostly Jewish or at least shackled by American Jews as opposed to Israel supporters. But Israel is pushing hard against any Iran deal, AIPAC is pushing hard against it on behalf of Israel, and Congress is responding to this pressure, not near-unanimously as is often the case, but to a great extent. The cartoonist is portraying that accurately and fairly.

Moreover, the cartoon portrays Rouhani being restrained by “hard-liners” who are burning the U.S. flag. Should we censure the cartoonist because no one in the Iranian government actually burns flags? Cartoons necessarily exaggerate, but the Obama side of the cartoon is more accurate and less distorted than the Rouhani side.