Philadelphia Inquirer ripped for running political cartoon depicting Israel as giant boot apparently about to crush ant-sized Hamas; paper apologizes

The Philadelphia Inquirer was blasted for running a political cartoon last Tuesday that depicts Israel as a giant boot apparently about to crush an ant-sized Hamas.

While the paper apologized a day later, Inquirer board chairman Josh Kopelman still took the publication to task on social media Thursday over the "offensive" cartoon that shows "Israel as an aggressor against a 'meek' Hamas. And I cannot sit in silence."

Kopelman added that he's avoided publicly commenting on the Inquirer's editorial choices over the years but has "heard that my silence has been interpreted by some as a passive endorsement. So I want to publicly share my anger."

"In the battle against terrorism, the Philadelphia Inquirer mistook the victim for the aggressor," Kopelman noted. "The Inquirer got it wrong."

He concluded by saying, "While the Inquirer’s public apology does not unring the bell, it is an important first step to recognizing the danger of printing content that reinforces antisemitic tropes. I’ve spent the last two days thinking deeply about whether I should resign my position — and have decided not to. Despite its failures, I still believe in the Inquirer’s mission and leadership. And I believe that Inquirer will have a better chance of taking additional steps towards combating antisemitism if I remain. I hope I am not wrong."

What else?

The Inquirer's apology stated that the political cartoon by Monte Wolverton "was highly insensitive, particularly at the current moment when antisemitism is on the rise. We hear the outcry and apologize for the pain it caused," according to Fox News.

The apology added, "In hindsight, the cartoon depicting an oversized Israeli military boot stepping on Hamas terrorists hiding among civilians in response to the Oct. 7 attack should not have been published," the cable network also said.

"Regardless of the interpretation, the illustration reinforces pernicious antisemitic tropes about Israeli aggression," the apology noted, according to Fox News.

The cable network said Wolverton shared his cartoon on X, where commenters called it "shameful," said "Monte supports baby killers," and added, "Nice moral relativism, you antisemitic piece of trash."

Wolverton on Sunday issued his own apology on X: "I deeply apologize for my recent cartoon depicting an Israeli combat boot poised to crush Hamas. I had intended to show Israel was soon to stomp out Hamas terrorists, but my insensitive choice of imagery effectively cast Israel as a villain. I now realize this caused pain for many readers, and I deeply apologize."

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