Washington, D.C., March 29, 2001 … The Egyptian press continues to promote anti-Semitism, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). In advance of President Hosni Mubarak’s official visit to the United States, ADL leaders and members of the Congressional Task Force Against Anti-Semitism today denounced the consistent derogatory portrayals of Jews and Judaism in political cartoons, which continue unabated in the Egyptian press without any official condemnation or censure.

At a news conference in Washington, Glen A. Tobias, ADL National Chairman, Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, and U.S. Reps. Tom Lantos (D-CA) and Benjamin Gilman (R-NY), called attention to dozens of anti-Semitic and anti-American cartoons that have recently appeared in the Egyptian press. The images are documented in the new League report Anti-Semitic Images in the Egyptian Media released today.

"Egypt is sending mixed signals to the American people," Mr. Tobias and Mr. Foxman said. "President Mubarak speaks of maintaining a strong relationship with the American administration while the Egyptian press portrays America as an evil force conspiring with Israel to destroy the Arab people. Egypt says it wants peace with Israel, but its press perpetuates ugly stereotypes of Jews and Israel."

Anti-Semitic Images in the Egyptian Media provides examples of cartoons that appeared between January 2000 and February 2001, including several images from government-backed newspapers. The cartoons portray Jews as Nazis and in numerous other nefarious ways, often as a satanic force working to subvert Egypt and the Palestinians. Many of the depictions focus on renewed tensions in the wake of the Palestinian "Intifada" against Israel, portraying Jews as ruthless aggressors and Nazis. Others perpetuate the myth of "Jewish control" of the U.S. government. According to ADL, these depictions have been evident in the Egyptian press, in periods of tension and calm, for the last two decades.

"The Egyptian government, particularly President Mubarak, must set an example for the Arab world in changing public attitudes toward Jews and Israel," said Mr. Tobias and Mr. Foxman. "Despite their claims to the contrary, Egypt is only helping to perpetuate deep rooted anti-Semitic and anti-American images and perceptions among its people."

Mr. Foxman has discussed the issue in face-to-face meetings with President Mubarak and other top Egyptian officials, both in Cairo and in Washington, over the last five years. The League, which has monitored anti-Semitism in the Egyptian media for nearly a decade, issued a report documenting its prevalence in 1997. The report was updated in spring 1999. In November 2000, the League urged President Mubarak to publicly condemn a full-page article in Egypt’s leading daily newspaper, Al-Ahram, which resurrected an infamous anti-Jewish canard of blood libel by accusing Israelis of using the blood of Palestinian children.

Examples from the most recent report include:

• On October 22, 2000, a cartoon in Al-Arabi portrayed an Israeli soldier firing at Palestinian protesters as a pig with legs shaped into a bold, black swastika. Cartoon



• A cartoon in Al-Akhbar on Oct. 3, 2000 included a caricature of then-Prime Minister Ehud Barak as a Hitleresque figure clad in Nazi regalia, ostensibly standing on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, blood dripping from his fists.



• Uncle Sam, a recurring image in Egyptian cartoons, was shown dumping a bucketful of cash toward a hook-nosed, bearded Jew in Al-Wafd on February 29, 2000. The stereotypical Jew is shown holding a bag full of American money in one hand, while lobbing missiles at the "Arab world" with the other.

The ADL report, produced in cooperation with The Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI), divides the cartoons into four categories: Israelis/Jews as Nazis; Israelis/Jews as Hitler, Israelis/Jews as Controlling the United States Government; and Classical Anti-Semitic Caricatures of Jews.

EDITORS NOTE: ADL experts are available for comment on anti-Semitism in the Egyptian Media. To arrange an interview, contact ADL Media Relations via email or telephone at (212) 885-7749.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.