Guardian cartoonist sacked over 'anti-Semitic' Netanyahu drawing

Steve Bell has worked at the Guardian for more than four decades. Photo: GARY DOAKE/Alamy Stock Photo

Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell said the newspaper effectively sacked him after allegations his work was “anti-Semitic.”

Mr Bell, who worked at the Guardian more than four decades, said the newspaper has refused to publish his cartoons anymore, although it will continue to employ him until April 2024.

The artist said the decision was “a little shocking.”

The decision follows backlash against Mr Bell over a cartoon he created following Hamas attacks on Israel last week.

The cartoon shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wearing boxing gloves as he prepares to operate his own torso, on which the outlines of the Gaza Strip are outlined. The caption reads: “Residents of Gaza, leave immediately.”

Some interpreted the cartoon as a reference to Shylock, the Jewish moneylender in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, who demands «a pound of flesh.»

The cartoon drew widespread criticism, with one Conservative MP slamming the cartoon. the image is «deeply offensive».

Mr Bell defended his cartoon, saying it was «impossible to draw this issue for the Guardian now without being falsely accused of using 'anti-Semitic stereotypes'».

He said the photo referenced a 1960s cartoon by David Levin that depicted then-U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson with a scar on his torso in the shape of a map of Vietnam.

The cartoonist added that the Shakespeare link would not work in Israel's political context, and he said a key part of the image was Mr Netanyahu «with boxing gloves».

Mr Bell has been contacted for comment on his work.

The Guardian declined to comment on the cartoon.

This is not the first time the cartoonist has been accused of using anti-Semitic imagery.

A 2020 drawing of Sir Keir Starmer holding Jeremy Corbyn's head on a plate has been interpreted by some as a reference to the head. about the presentation of John the Baptist to Salome, the daughter of the Jewish king Herod.

Mr Bell told the Morning Star newspaper that the Guardian has a «new process for vetting content, even undrawn cartoons, that has recently come out.»

He said: “It is becoming more and more impossible to protect the freedom that a cartoonist needs. I've worked on this paper for 42 years and problems like this have only recently arisen.»

Mr Bell added: «I used to do three editorial cartoons a week. They cut it down to three a month and [now] got rid of it completely.

“I would be happy to draw if [I could] for the rest of my life.”