Pulitzer Prize-Winning Cartoonist Oliphant Under Fire … Again
Pat Oliphant is one of the most widely syndicated political cartoonists in the world. With a recent cartoon (published by the Washington Post, Slate, and Yahoo! News, among others) the US-based, Australian cartoonist has now attracted the ire of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith (ADLoBB). [Note: it is advisable to insert the organization’s full name rather than accept its ‘ADL’ shorthand: it is a reminder of the narrow, sectional interests it exists to serve].
Not only is the cartoon (below) “hideously anti-Semitic” and offensive because of its use of the star of David, writes Abraham Foxman in a statement, but because 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.” (editorial emphasis). Exactly, Mr Foxman, I couldn’t agree more.
It is of course Abraham Foxman whose reaction is ‘cartoonish’ and Pat Oliphant, no stranger to courting controversy through his cartoons, whose home truths here have evidently cut close to the bone for the likes of the ADLoBB. One need not like all Pat Oliphant’s cartoons to recognise knee-jerk accusations of Judeophobia. As for the Star of David, surely its most offensive use is its placement on the flag of israel.
Here is the cartoon. Thanks 99.
As for the Star of David, surely its most offensive use is its placement on the flag of israel.
Indeed. Indeed.
And, reading this line, with the subject image below it, I saw that the cartoon is a sort of flag of Israel, with the smoke slash above the star and the ledge the Gaza is being driven off below. I had looked hard at this earlier, and enlarged it, and thought about it, but not noticed that until just now.
If the jackboots fit then you have to wear them. Lets face it the Israeli punishment of the Palestinians can only be compared to symbolisim that was used to denounce the people of Germany. Lets view this from a historical perspective, there are few countries in the world’s history in the last 100 years that have oppressed their population base as the Israeli’s have. 1300 dead Palestinians to 13 Israel’s, fireworks vs. F-15, duh. I would ay things are somewhat out of balance.
I’m not Jewish, but I am a rabid fan of Oliphant’s often stunning graphic artistry — and usually of his political viewpoints — and I was left slack-jawed at this cartoon. It is not, I’d suggest, anti-Semitic because he takes a hard line against the recent Israeli military operations into Gaza (absolutely fair game for commentary, I’d say), and though it’s obviously provocative as all Hell, I’d even argue that the Isrealis-as-Nazis portrayal is within reason. But by portraying the Jewish star in such a fashion, Oliphant visually suggests that the problem is not with this government’s policies (again, fair game) but that the policies are Jewish ones. That’s the problem with it.
Well, I have to say that…from the time that Israel decided to put the David star on their flag, it’s meaning has changed completely, thus it is not anti-semitism refering to the star as the monster that Israel represents. Israel is not only for jews, as a state it is for everyone born there and so on…this star has lost the representativity of jews..therefore, the cartoonist is on its rights since it represents Israel, and to be fair, Israel is as bad as the Nazi regime oppression, therefore it deserves to be critically portartied as it is. Well done!! Love the cartoon.
kudos to oliphant’s brave representation of the truth. there is no difference between what happened to jews in the warsaw ghetto and what israel is doing to the palestinians and have been doing for over half a century. intimidating villagers, expelling them, walling them off when they dare protest. shame on them- anti-semitism? palestinians are semites as well- no one seems to address that.