Jewish leaders condemn The Independent's cartoon comparing Jenin to Ukraine

The Jewish community in the United Kingdom criticized The Independent, a British newspaper, for its publication of a cartoon that drew a parallel between a recent attack on Palestine and Russia's military intervention in Ukraine.

The cartoon by Dave Brown shows a Palestinian man lying face-down on the ground. He is surrounded by wreckage, with fire and fighter jets in the background. Near him is a sign punctured by bullets that have “Jenin” written on it. Blood is smeared across the sign to turn the word into “Ukraine.”

In the corner of the cartoon, “Can you see me now?” is inscribed. The cartoon implies that the suffering of Palestinians remains hidden.

A spokesperson for the Jewish Leadership Council said in an interview with the Jewish Chronicle that the cartoon is “a clear attempt to deny Israel’s right to defend itself by casting a false equivalence between Ukranians and armed Palestinian terrorists.”

“Ukrainians are fighting because their territory has been invaded. They do not seek to destroy Russia and kill all Russians,” NJA chairman Gary Mond said. “Palestinians are fighting to destroy the Jewish state and kill or expel the Jewish population.”

Mond called the cartoon an “insult” to Ukraine and its people. Mond accused the British media of being biased against the Israeli Occupation.

Mond referenced an interview in which a BBC reporter interviewing Naftali Bennett said the Israeli Occupation military is happy to kill children. “I thought Naftali Bennett did very well in his responses” to “hostile questions,” Mond said.

Brown, the cartoon’s creator, previously published a controversial cartoon depicting former Israel Occupation prime minister Ariel Sharon. In the drawing, Sharon is represented by a monster who consumes Palestinian children.

Last week, Israeli Occupation airstrikes were launched on Jenin and its camp, resulting in the killing of 12 Palestinians and an Israeli Occupation soldier.