ADL criticizes Arab press for portraying Obama, Romney as ‘in Israel’s pocket’

Cartoons in major newspapers across the Arab world are portraying President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney as being in the pocket of Jews and Israel, the Anti-Defamation League said Thursday.

Announcing the release of a new report showing a compilation of election-themed cartoons from the Muslim and Arab press, the ADL bemoaned the demonization of Jews and Israel and the US-Israel relationship. The unifying theme of political cartoons in newspapers in Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Syria, the report said, is that the candidates are pandering for the “Jewish vote,” or that Jews control the candidates and American democracy.

“For far too long, anti-Semitic cartoons have appeared in the Arab and Muslim press, often in countries where the press is tightly controlled by the government,” said ADL National Director Abraham H. Foxman. “It is shameful that this practice continues – even in countries with new governments and leadership – and is so widely accepted in these societies. It is time for political leaders in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and elsewhere to condemn these hateful images and for the owners and editors of the media outlets to stop allowing their publications to promote conspiratorial anti-Semitism and incitement against Israel.”