CNN accused of publishing antisemitic cartoon: 'Flirts with ancient blood libel'

The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis (CAMERA) accused CNN of going out of their way to publish a cartoon depicting Jewish people with antisemitic tropes.

Last week, CAMERA put a spotlight on a Jan. 25 CNN article by Abeer Salman, titled "As Israel bans Palestinian flags, one artist protests with his brush," that told the story of Tel Aviv-based artist Michael Rozanov’s criticism of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who recently ordered police to take down Palestinian flags flying in Israel. 

A cartoon created by Rozanov under the name "Mysh" and published by CNN depicted a Jewish Passover dinner with bubble text in Hebrew that reads, "We are free people," as the room they’re dining in appears to be surrounded by a sea of blood.

"If CNN needs to flirt with antisemitic tropes in order to report on controversial Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, what does that say about the network?" CAMERA research analyst David Litman asked, noting, "Salman seemed to go out of her way to not just include ahistorical swipes at the Jewish state, but also – in borrowing from centuries of antisemitic blood libels – associate the holiday of Passover with Jews benefiting from the shedding of blood of non-Jews."

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Litman noted that Ben-Gvir’s decision to remove Palestinian flags has been widely criticized but feels CNN took things too far. 

"They inexplicably included a cartoon recalling multiple antisemitic themes, as well as unchallenged, ahistorical commentary depicting Israelis as needlessly cruel," Litman wrote. 

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"Of all Mysh’s other cartoons, Salman chose to highlight one that depicts a Jewish family celebrating Passover, surrounded by a sea of blood. The imagery echoes multiple antisemitic themes and conspiracy theories," Litman continued. "For one, it flirts with the ancient blood libel that Jews use the blood of non-Jews during Passover to bake matzah. For another, it plays on themes of Jews accruing benefits at the expense of the blood and freedom of others."

The CAMERA researcher believes that "aside from being a vacuous viewpoint of the conflict," the cartoon also "plays into the countless conspiracies of Jews manipulating the world for their own selfish benefit."

Litman believes giving Mysh "the benefit of the doubt, that perhaps his work is simply being misinterpreted, becomes less tenable the more one investigates the rest of his work," and wrote that CNN been "curiously incurious about glancing through his easily accessible and publicly available portfolio of cartoons."

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Other cartoons from the artist amplified by CNN include one that "explicitly used the antisemitic Passover blood libel, depicting Palestinians being crushed to death between two pieces of matzah as blood pours out" and comparisons to Jewish people and Nazis, according to Litman. 

"A story of a cartoonist lampooning a controversial politician can of course be an interesting and newsworthy item," Litman wrote. "However, publishing a puff piece on Mysh, including a cartoon that so closely echoes the same antisemitic themes found in his other work, adds yet another example of CNN’s lengthy record of biased reporting and unchallenged platforming of antisemitism."

CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

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