The text underneath the comic strip claims that: "the onslaught of the Gaza Strip is strikingly similar to the German blitz in the initial stage of the Second World War."
This first cartoon is contentious and challenges the Jewish moral high ground. However, I'd like to discuss a different aspect of the scene:
In the first cartoon, the Arab world, the world, and America are depicted as watching it happen (America is standing next to the Israeli soldier as if encouraging him). What caught my interest was the complacent depiction of the Arab world.
In the second cartoon, the person representing the Arab world had money covering his eyes and mouth during the onslaught (as in see no evil, speak no evil) while standing next to Uncle Sam:
My question is about the Arab nations: According to these cartoons, they are not intervening. What reasons may Arab countries have for being neutral or "hear no evil, speak no evil"? It may be interesting to also consider their past policies.
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ReplyDeleteI believe that the complacency of the Arab, representing the Arab world, in the first cartoon,is forced. To me, he looks angry. However, he cannot act because there is little he can do. Israel, backed by the U.S., has the funds to wage a much more technologically advanced war than the most Arab nations can. The United States also is a huge part of the economy of other Arab nations. I'm sure a big part to Arab inaction depicted by the cartoons have to do with the fact that they do not want to jeopardize their relationships with the US. In doing so, they could put their own economies at risk, or run the possibility of getting involved in a war with the US. Just like the second cartoon depicted, I believe money is a big reason for "complacency" with the Israel/Palestine conflict by the Arab nations.
ReplyDeleteJust out of curiosity, where did you find these cartoons?
I'm not sure about the Arab figure in the first cartoon, but the one in the second cartoon bears an unmistakable resemblance to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. In addition to being a primary supplier of oil to the U.S. since at least WWII, the Saudis have also been in a very close military relationship with America. The U.S. provided military training, and the Saudis in turn aided U.S. troops in fighting regional communist movements in the Cold War days and Saddam Hussein in the first Gulf War.
ReplyDeleteOfficially, Saudi Arabia wants Israel to withdraw to the pre-1967 borders, but I haven't heard of them making a big fuss about it recently. There must be a very strong quid pro quo in effect here because otherwise I can't see why they wouldn't use their "oil power" to pressure the U.S. to diminish its support of Israel (as they did in the 1973 oil embargo against pro-Israel countries).
Amendment: Upon closer look, the character in the first cartoon is almost certainly also King Abdullah.
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