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Cartoon criticizes bickering on Arab social media over using terms “Israel” or “the Zionist entity” in celebrating Palestinian arson wave, while Arab world burns in background

Al-Quds, Palestinian daily  |

Cartoon posted on the website of the Al-Quds newspaper

The cartoon shows two burnt matches arguing whether to use the term “Israel” or “the Zionist entity” in hashtags on social media that celebrate the wave of fires that struck Israel in late November 2016 – which are suspected to be Palestinian arson attacks.

Headline: "The Arab fights in the [social] media"

Burnt match on the right: "The_Zionist_entity_is_burning. Collaborator! Defeatist! Groveler!"
Burnt match on the left: "#Israel_is_burning. Superficial! Fool! Ridiculous!"
Text on signs in the burning background: “Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Syria”

Using the term “Israel” would indicate recognition of Israel, whereas “the Zionist entity” implies a denial of Israel’s right to exist.

The names of Arab countries in the burning background seem to suggest the superficiality of the discussion about names for Israel, as opposed to the urgency of conflicts in “burning” Arab countries.

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