It seems that the false anti-semitism
nonsense is now infecting the Israeli body politic too.  After the brilliant cartoon of Avi Katz
depicting the Likud group of MKs, taking selfies, as a group of pigs, he was
sacked after complaints of ‘anti-Semitism.’ Presumably the message of all
animals being equal but some being more equal than others wasn’t appreciated by
the knee-jerk racist ignoramuses who edit the Jerusalem Post.

The hypocrisy of all this is mind
boggling.  The occasion of this cartoon
was the passage of the Jewish Nation State Law which officially confirmed, not
that confirmation was necessary, that Arabs live in an Apartheid State where
they aren’t even second class citizens. 
A law which confirmed support for Jewish only settlements (although the
wording was toned down the message was clear), removing Arabic as an officially
recognised language and failed to make any mention of the dreaded word ‘equality.

Naturally a cartoonist who poked fun at
this, especially using the metaphor of Orwell’s pigs, deserves to be
sacked.  And they call Israel the ‘only democracy in the Middle East’?
Pass the sick-bucket before turning the lights out.

Tony Greenstein 

The Jerusalem Report, a news magazine published by Israeli daily The
Jerusalem Post, fired on Tuesday the illustrator Avi Katz after a cartoon of
his mocked an image of Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Likud lawmakers taking a selfie that
was published following the passage of the nation-state law.

The cartoon depicted the politicians as pigs. Katz did not comment on his
firing, while The Jerusalem Post told Haaretz that “Katz is a freelance
cartoonist at the Jerusalem Post, and based on editorial considerations, it was
decided not to continue the relationship with him.”

Despite the clear homage to George Orwell’s “Animal Farm”, including
the use of the well-known quote “All animals are equal, but some are more
equal than others,” many people on social media were quick to compare it
to anti-Semitic caricatures.

Hundreds of comments were posted, mostly outraged by the swine imagery,
in response to the cartoon that Katz posted on his Facebook page, which was
shared more than 2,800 times. “Crazy anti-Semite,” wrote one
commenter. “Filled with self-loathing, frustrated and bitter. I suggest
that you climb into a jar of saltwater [in a] dark and shady place until you
are nicely pickled.” Another commenter wrote: “It is you who is the
big. And those in the picture are just the representatives of your people and
the illustrator is one of the enlightened [who are] boorish and ignorant.”

Alongside the criticism, some defended Katz and said freedom of speech is
supposed to permit such cartoons. After his firing was announced, a campaign
was launched on behalf of the cartoonist, which has raised more than 11,000
shekels ($3,000).

The Union of Journalists in Israel said that it “takes seriously the decision to fire
cartoonist Katz from The Jerusalem Post because of his critical cartoon.
Causing harm to a journalist because he expressed an opinion, lte alone when it
was approved by his editors, is a dangerous step that must not be accepted. We
call on Katz’s editors to retract this unacceptable step.”

As a result of the firing, Tel Aviv’s upcoming Animix Festival, which
celebrates animation, comic books, and cartoons, will feature an exhibit on
freedom of speech.

“In the context of the
messianic/religious/nationalistic polemics sweeping Israel, and in light of the
inflamed public mood, we now get the firing of a cartoonist from a newspaper in
response to a legitimate and brave cartoon that the editor did not like (but
which was published in his newspaper),” said Nissim Hezkiyahu, the founder and art director
of the Animix Festival.