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November 1: Arab Cartoonists and the 2012 Election
The Anti-Defamation League reported on this date in 2012 that the U.S. electoral contest between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney was being portrayed in many Arab newspapers as a contest between candidates “indistinguishable in their subservience to Jews and Israel.... On a daily basis, the editorial cartoons which ADL compiles from media outlets across the region feature stereotypical Jewish figures (sometimes depicted as Israel or Israeli leaders) as puppet masters of the region, the international community, and most particularly, the United States.” Some samples follow:
“While many of the featured cartoons include classic anti-Semitic imagery and stereotypes, others exhibit a more nuanced, yet still defamatory, portrayal of Jewish control over the upcoming US presidential election.... The 2008 campaign featured similarly themed caricatures, but many focused exclusively on then-candidate Barack Obama as enslaved by/in the pocket of Jews and Israel.” —Anti-Defamation League
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