The New York Times’ international edition on Saturday retracted and apologized for an anti-Semitic editorial cartoon that appeared in the newspaper’s opinion pages two days earlier.
“A political cartoon in the international print edition of The New York Times on Thursday included anti-Semitic tropes,” read an editor’s note the paper said would be printed in Monday’s edition.
“The image was offensive, and it was an error of judgment to publish it. It was provided by The New York Times News Service and Syndicate, which has since deleted it.”
The cartoon pictured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a dog on a leash held by President Donald Trump; anti-Semites commonly compare Jewish people to dogs or pigs. Netanyahu’s likeness included the Star of David, and Trump is shown wearing a skullcap and sunglasses, as if he were blind.
The paper’s misstep sparked outrage among Jewish advocates, many of whom pointed to the documented rise in anti-Semitism and hate crimes around the country.
“Apology not accepted,” the American Jewish Committee, an advocacy organization, said on Twitter. The group called the cartoon “naked antisemitism” and said it would “not look out of place on a white nationalist website.”
HuffPost reached out to the Anti-Defamation League, another large Jewish advocacy group, but did not immediately receive a response.
The cartoon’s publication comes amid a heated controversy over the definition of anti-Semitism, with many Republican and conservative leaders frequently condemning criticisms of Israel as anti-Semitic.
The Times’ apology also coincided with what appears to be a hate crime in San Diego County, California, where a 19-year-old gunman opened fire at a synagogue during a Passover celebration, killing one woman and injuring three other people.