A cartoon published in The Sydney Morning Herald violated Standards of Practice that all press must adhere to in Australia according to the Australian Press Council in its linking of “symbols of the Jewish faith” to criticism of Israel.

The newspaper was forced to issue an apology a week after it had originally published the cartoon by cartoonist Glen Le Lievre.

The cartoon depicts an elderly man wearing glasses and a yarmulke, reclining in a chair emblazoned with a Star of David, and holding a remote control while watching from hilltop as a city, which by implication is Gaza, explodes.

The adjudication by the Press Council states,“A linkage with Israeli nationality might have been justifiable in the public interest, despite being likely to cause offense. But the same cannot be said of the implied linkage with the Jewish faith that arose from inclusion of the kippah and the Star of David.”

Political correctness gone mad?

Israel has the star of David on its own national flag and is known to be homeland to the world’s Jewish population. So why should including images of these Jewish symbols be considered offensive if all it is doing is painting the picture of an Israeli person?

The cartoon is a political statement and not a racial one.

The Morning Herald issued an apology saying that it regretted the use of religious symbols.