The Jerusalem Post fired its cartoonist of 19 years Avi Katz for depicting Netanyahu and other Likud leaders as pigs following the passage of the new Israeli apartheid law. Katz captioned his drawing: "All animals are equal but some are more equal than others.”
Critics of the law say it discriminates against other minorities, encourages settlement expansion, and it gives Israel the right to demand from social media giants like Facebook and Google the deletion of messages critical of Israel under the pretext it incites anti-Semitism.
Even though the drawing was approved by the JP editor, the paper argued the cartoon shows the Israeli leaders with pigs' heads causes harm and incitement, and has no place in our publications. The JP further argued that the cartoon was offensive and has ruffled feathers. However, yesterday the JP's editorial read: “Line Crossed,” explaining its decision.
Speaking about freedom of speech, the JP claimed last week that the two Italian artists Jorit Agoch and Agostino Chirwin who were arrested on July 28 for painting Mural of Ahed Tamimi on the Separation Wall left to Italy following their release. That is hogwash! Truth is, the two artists’ tourist visas were revoked and they were ordered to leave the country within 72 hours or face expulsion. Not to mention that Israel barred them from entering the country again for 10 years according to their lawyer.
The JP never came to the defence of Lama Khater, 42, after she was arrested in a raid at her house in Al-Khalil. The mother of five children is a journalist and writer who writes critically of the Israeli occupation and the Palestinian Authority. Instead of defending a fellow journalist, the JP falsely accused her of being a Hamas member, considering Hamas a terror group. Her 18-year-old daughter, Besaan, had to put college on hold to care for her four younger siblings.
Obviously, the JP bend backward to protect Netanyahu and the Likud party image. It is very unfair to the pigs to be compared to Netanyahu and company. Pigs do not kill people with impunity. The truth is, the JP has no sense of humour and by its reaction to the aforementioned stories, the JP makes a mockery of free speech.
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