British paper refuses to run Steve Bell’s latest cartoon showing PM preparing to cut Gaza-shaped incision in his abdomen, captioned ‘Residents of Gaza, get out now’
The Guardian newspaper has let go of its long-serving cartoonist, Steve Bell, because they refused to publish a cartoon of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Critics claimed the cartoon used antisemitic imagery. The Guardian stated that they decided not to renew Bell’s contract. Bell had been contributing to The Guardian since 1983, and some of his past cartoons were accused of including anti-Jewish stereotypes.
The cartoon in question, shared on social media by Bell, depicts Netanyahu holding a scalpel and preparing to cut a Gaza-shaped incision in his abdomen, with the caption “Residents of Gaza, get out now.” This seems to reference the military’s call for Gazans to flee to the south before a ground invasion aimed at eliminating the Hamas terror group. Bell denies evoking antisemitic stereotypes, explaining that it was inspired by a Vietnam War-era cartoon depicting then-US president Lyndon B. Johnson pointing at a Vietnam-shaped scar.
Bell has created caricatures of various British leaders in the past, using exaggerated and grotesque forms. The firing comes amid controversy over the cartoon’s alleged antisemitic elements.
The article also briefly mentions the conflict between Israel and Hamas on October 7, where Hamas militants attacked Israel, resulting in a significant number of casualties. Israel has pledged to eliminate Hamas while attempting to minimize harm to civilians.
