FRESH AIR

UPDATES

Fatah uses controversial Australian cartoon by Glen Le Lievre to promote antisemitic conspiracy theories

Sep 23, 2016 | Glen Falkenstein

Fatah uses controversial Australian cartoon by Glen Le Lievre to promote antisemitic conspiracy theories
news_item/dc7f68e4-2898-43ac-9ce5-619e54902523.jpg

Fatah’s “Mobilization and Organization Commission” has re-publicised a controversial Australian cartoon drawn by Glen Le Lievre which originally appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald. Fatah’s implication is that Jews are in control of acts of terrorism and violence around the world. The infamous cartoon (above) of a Jewish person with a large nose, wearing a Jewish skullcap, seated in an armchair with an emblazoned Star of David, causing violence with a remote control device, was published on that Commission’s website on Sept. 20 according to Palestinian Media Watch.

The cartoon first appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald in 2014 in the context of the contemporaneous Gaza conflict (Operation Protective Edge) and was the subject of significant controversy in Australia at the time.

Attorney-General George Brandis labelled it as “deplorable” and “overtly anti-Semitic,” and called on the Herald to “have a very good look at itself when it publishes cartoons (of) the kind we haven’t seen since Germany in the 1930s.”

The Australian reported that then-Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull personally called the Editor of the Herald to say that the cartoon “had a disturbing similarity with a long and deplorable tradition of anti-Semitic caricatures.” There were also reports of readers cancelling their subscriptions following the cartoon’s publication.

In a subsequent editorial in the Herald, the paper apologised for the cartoon, stating that “the newspaper invoked an inappropriate element of religion, rather than nationhood, and made a serious error of judgement. It was wrong to publish the cartoon in its original form. We apologise unreservedly for this lapse, and the anguish and distress that has been caused.”

It is telling that Fatah, the ruling party of the Palestinian Authority – whose representatives continue to incite hatred against the Jewish people and engage in abominable libels – would now use this cartoon to promote their objectives.

There is currently of course no ongoing war in Gaza – the context of the cartoon today is to send the conspiratorial message that Jews are collectively responsible for terrorism and violence everywhere. Palestinian Media Watch shows an additional recent cartoon from another Fatah website which illustrates the antisemitic conspiracy theory that Fatah is trying to spread, blaming a hook-nosed Jew for causing Shi’ite-Sunni enmity.

Indeed, Palestinian Media Watch has collected numerous other examples of implications by Fatah or PA affiliated outlets that Israel or the Jews are really the ones responsible for acts of Islamist terrorism.

It goes without saying that the spread of such antisemitic conspiracy theories by the ruling party of the PA is hardly conducive to achieving Israeli-Palestinian reconciliation, and bodes very poorly for hopes for a negotiated two-state resolution any time soon.

Further, this incident shows the egregious nature of the original cartoon. The fact that it is now being used to promote antisemitic conspiracy theories by a radical group just goes to reinforce that the Sydney Morning Herald was quite correct to conclude, “It was wrong to publish the cartoon in its original form” and to apologise.

Glen Falkenstein

Tags:

RELATED ARTICLES


Mahmoud Abbas gives his Nakba Day speech at the UN (Image: UN Photo/Screenshot)

The UN Must Not Repeat Its ‘Nakba Day’ Farce

May 31, 2023 | Featured, Fresh AIR, In the media
Protestor in Indonesia calling to ban Israel's team from the FIFA U-20 World Cup that Indonesia was meant to host (screenshot)

Sporting Boycotts require strong action by roof bodies

May 31, 2023 | Featured, Fresh AIR
Palestinian Islamic Jihad (image: Shutterstock/Anas-Mohammed)

Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the shell game in Gaza

May 12, 2023 | Featured, Fresh AIR
Anti-Houthi demonstrations in Taiz, Yemen, 2014

Yemen’s Future: Partition, Hezbollisation or Talibanisation?

May 5, 2023 | Featured, Fresh AIR
Cyber

No increased Iranian cyberthreat to Israel

May 3, 2023 | Featured, Fresh AIR
China Iran

China won’t and can’t help Israel with Iran

Apr 28, 2023 | Featured, Fresh AIR
Screenshot from a tiktok video showing Palestinian Islamic Jihad rockets being launched at Israel from amidst civilians in a heavily populated area of Gaza

“Shield and Arrow”: Yet another Gaza conflict

May 12, 2023 | Update
Israelis celebrating Independence Day (Yom  Ha'atzmaut) in Tel Aviv (Photo: Shutterstock, Orlov Sergei)

Reflections on Israel’s 75th Birthday

May 3, 2023 | Update
Israeli PM Binyamin Netanyahu announces a pause in his Government's judicial reform plans in a televised address on Monday, March 27  (Image: Youtube screenshot)

Israel’s controversial judicial reforms put on hold

Mar 29, 2023 | Update
Image: Shutterstock

The implications of the Iran-Saudi deal

Mar 17, 2023 | Update
A joint air force drill during the Israel-US "Juniper Oak" military exercises in January, which were widely interpreted as sending a signal to Iran (Image: Pentagon)

New diplomatic strategies with Iran for 2023

Mar 10, 2023 | Update
Screenshot from a video showing radical Israeli rioters torching Palestinian homes in the West Bank town of Huwara (Image: Twitter)

West Bank unrest escalates following violent riots by Jewish protesters in Huwara

Mar 1, 2023 | Update

SIGN UP FOR AIJAC EMAILS

RECENT POSTS

Mahmoud Abbas gives his Nakba Day speech at the UN (Image: UN Photo/Screenshot)

The UN Must Not Repeat Its ‘Nakba Day’ Farce

Protestor in Indonesia calling to ban Israel's team from the FIFA U-20 World Cup that Indonesia was meant to host (screenshot)

Sporting Boycotts require strong action by roof bodies

Senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders attend a meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader in Tehran, Iran (Image via Iran’s Supreme Leader’s website)

Essay: A New Multifront Strategy?

Erdogan vs. Kilicdaroglu: The former looks all but guaranteed to win a second round on May 29 (Image: Tolga Ildun/ Shutterstock)

What does Turkey’s election mean for Israel?

Netanyahu (right), with Defence Minister Gallant (top left), IDF Chief of Staff Halevi (bottom left) and other security officials (Image: GPO/ Flickr)

Israeli politics after “Shield and Arrow”

Mahmoud Abbas gives his Nakba Day speech at the UN (Image: UN Photo/Screenshot)

The UN Must Not Repeat Its ‘Nakba Day’ Farce

Protestor in Indonesia calling to ban Israel's team from the FIFA U-20 World Cup that Indonesia was meant to host (screenshot)

Sporting Boycotts require strong action by roof bodies

Senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders attend a meeting with Iran’s Supreme Leader in Tehran, Iran (Image via Iran’s Supreme Leader’s website)

Essay: A New Multifront Strategy?

Erdogan vs. Kilicdaroglu: The former looks all but guaranteed to win a second round on May 29 (Image: Tolga Ildun/ Shutterstock)

What does Turkey’s election mean for Israel?

Netanyahu (right), with Defence Minister Gallant (top left), IDF Chief of Staff Halevi (bottom left) and other security officials (Image: GPO/ Flickr)

Israeli politics after “Shield and Arrow”

SORT BY TOPICS