(I’m not sure the artist had in mind what this comic makes me think of, but it still appeared rather apropos today. The images were found in the comics section on Yahoo! News.)
This one’s a little more obvious:
From the artist’s homepage:
This cartoon is in no way intended to absolve Israel of its actions. I’ve been a critic of the way Israel deals with the Palestinians for years. Many years ago, when Israel first occupied the West Bank and Gaza, Amos Oz, the great Israeli novelist (and soldier in the ‘67 war), realized that the occupation was a huge mistake–that Israel would lose its soul if it became an occupier, that it would not be able to function both as a democracy and as an oppressor. He was denounced as a traitor, but he was right. The boarding of the “humanitarian relief†vessels attempting to run the Israeli blockade of Gaza was only the latest in a long series of missteps by Israel as it struggles to maintain its deeply flawed policy. That the Turkish relief effort was a setup from the beginning (the stated goal was to goad Israel into a violent response, and it succeeded) is beside the point. Israel gave the world community yet another reason to condemn its actions.
All that said, the hypocrisy of many of those who express such concern for the plight of the Palestinians is especially galling given the scant attention those same folks pay to the human rights atrocities committed by other, more malignant states. Where is the scalding denunciation of North Korea for its torpedoing of the Cheonan and the death of 46 South Korean sailors, the calls for Hamas and Hezbollah to stop lobbing rockets at civilians, the fury over Iran’s routine executions of dissidents? Who among Israel’s critics also stand against China’s appalling suppression of Tibetan nationalism? Where are the voices demanding an end to Cuba’s dictatorship?
Thus, this cartoon.
Update / Disclaimer: Just because I quote something does not necessarily mean I agree with it. I figured it was a gesture of proper etiquette to provide the artist’s annotations and not just take his work and apply it to my views on the matter. This post is about perceptions of a situation as manifested in two comics, not about reiterating what the majority of us on here feel.
Both of these are spot on, whether they represent your views or not.
Yes, but we don’t give North Korea, Myanmar, etc. millions of dollars’ worth of aid and arms annually. If we’re going to acknowledge that Israel is a rogue state like many other rogue states, then they don’t deserve our funding. They are certainly not the Western democracy that we pretend they are.
Oh, but Jamie, most of the world doesn’t give Israel millions of dollars but the news cycle is the same as described.
And nobody here has acknowledged that Israel is a rogue state.
And they certainly are the Western democracy we claim they are.
Other than that, thanks for your comment.
Again with BS aid argument? Regardless of what was 30 years ago – today, the money helps the US far more than it helps Israel. Most of the money must be spent in the US (creating a economic stimulus), and allows the US to sell AWACs to Saudi Arabia, cancel Israeli deals with US’s competitors in Asia, and push Israel to accept a BS deal for an overpriced, mismanaged project, the utility of which is questionable (F-35).
AND – the US does give Egypt billions of dollars? Where’s the outrage over the treatment of the Copts? The antisemitic national television broadcasts?
Oh wait – the US also spends buckets of money on the palestinians – there are attacks nearly daily; the antisemitism is in their “laws,” and espoused by their “leaders”; the “resistance” group in Gaza has killed scores of their “co-nationalists,” and yet – the outrage is where…?
Last – the media doesn’t give Israel any money at all – honest reporting is not related in any way to foreign aid. And the European media is even worse – but how much money do they give Israel? To the palestinians?
sorry, it’s a theocracy, not a democracy. That’s why Israeli Arabs will never be allowed to have full rights. It’s ok, there are plenty of other theocracies in the region; but we shouldn’t fool ourselves.
Theocracy? Israel? It’s actually a bit amusing when someone says that – it shows how completely and utterly ignorant they are of what Israel is – kind of like holding up a sign that says “I know nothing at all, but I will pretend I am an expert anyway.”
It also cuts any sort of dialog short – because it that person has clearly decided to make up their mind without knowing any facts at all.