The Guardian, a British daily, has fired its long-time cartoonist Steve Bell over a cartoon depicting Benjamin Netanyahu, which the paper labeled as anti-Semitic. The cartoonist had worked at the paper for over 40 years. The caricature drew comparisons to the character Shylock from 'The Merchant of Venice'. The decision to terminate Bell's employment has sparked controversy, with critics accusing the publication of coming to Netanyahu's aid amidst recent tensions in Gaza. The incident has raised discussions about freedom of expression and the boundaries of political satire.
Steve Bell is fired by The Guardian for a caricature that criticizes Netanyahu. https://t.co/x6eXvB3VsA
Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell axed over ‘antisemitic’ drawing of Netanyahu https://t.co/CCdqMVWEzh https://t.co/jiGZU0ah4W
Newspaper Cartoonist Dropped After Being Accused of 'Anti-Semitic' Netanyahu Drawing https://t.co/p0pQzEfcpE
.@Guardian fired cartoonist @BellBelltoons, after 40 YEARS of working there over this Netanyahu caricature, which they likened to—guess what?!—the Merchant of Venice. Netanyahu just killed 3,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and pseudo-progressive publications are coming to *his* aid. https://t.co/qkTNCha5wz
Media coverage: "The Guardian has sacked its own cartoonist Steve Bell who had worked at the paper for over 40 years over a cartoon of Benjamin Netanyahu, which the British daily has labeled an as anti-Semitic." https://t.co/JLLwDvBBhO