Political Cartoons

I found these two cartoons shortly after the beginning of the semester and found them to be interesting perspectives of the conflict not only in Gaza but the general Israeli-Palestinian conflict overall.

The first cartoon I found and thought to be interesting gives an interesting perspective on Western/American views (and in some ways my own views) of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. As Gaza goes up in flames, the "rest of the world" thinks that the only way a lasting peace will work is if "one state [is] on Mars and the other state on Pluto." Although this is a cartoon, it ignores the history and the ties to the land that both Israelis and Palestinians feel. It also suggests that the rest of the world believes that Israel and Palestine cannot get along, ever, thus must be separated to different planets in order for peace to exist between them. The first cartoon does not highlight which side is to blame, if the response is appropriate, etc. but it does reflect some helplessness felt by the "rest of the world" toward a long term solution for peace between Israel and Palestine.


The second one I found rather interesting. Not only is the conflict caused by "hatred" and "vengeance," thus creating "terror" through the use of "bombs" and attacks on "civilians" but both "Zionism" and "Antisemitism" are listed as

ingredients to the "Mideast stew" of conflict. The inclusion of "radicalism" and "martyrdom," however, imply a certain leaning toward the Palestinians causing the conflict in Gaza. For a Western audience, "radicalism" and "martyrdom" are elements of fundamentalist Islam. Although "Zionism" is included in the list of ingredients, it is overshadowed by "antisemitism," "radicalism" and "martyrdom" within the context of "terror" and "vengeance." I do not know what to make of the creature stirring the stew and what he represents other than causing the conflict to boil over. I do think that what he says about "getting all the proportions right" is interesting. Both sides have to fight each other, whether or not the response is proportional or not, in order for the conflict to gain the attention of the Western media. A one-sided attack tends to favor the one attacked but when the fighting on both sides is apparent, the conflict begins to become fuzzier and more difficult to diffuse.

Both cartoons reflect a bit of hopelessness for peace in Israel/Palestine. The first one more or less states it as part of the plan to separate the Israeli and Palestinian states on to different planets. The second one, the hopelessness is more implied. A cycle of violence is brewing, occasionally boiling over and fueling the flames of the conflict overall. The causes of the violence are "terror," "vengeance," "an eye for an eye" (and the whole world goes blind) and "hatred." These cannot be easily overcome and provide a daunting task for those who wish to see peace and coexistence among Israelis and Palestinians.