PA expresses outrage via antisemitic cartoon after Israeli Arab Parliament Member Mansour Abbas declares that Israel is a "Jewish state"

Cartoon published in the official PA daily

Text on cartoon: “[Israeli Arab Parliament Member] Mansour Abbas”

The cartoon shows a depiction of Israeli Arab Parliament Member Mansour Abbas’ head inside a Star of David; Abbas has massive pointy ears and a pointy kippah (Jewish skullcap) on his head, which form the upper three points of the Star of David.

The cartoon refers to Abbas’ statements that Israel is a Jewish state – see note below.

At the Globes Israel Business Conference on Dec. 21, 2021, Israeli Arab Parliament Member Mansour Abbas said: "The State of Israel was born as a Jewish state. This is the people’s decision, and the question is not what the identity of the state is – it was born like this and thus it will remain… I protested the [Jewish] Nation-State Law and I do not want to deceive anyone. The question is what the status of the Arab citizen in the Jewish State of Israel is. That is the question.”

Jewish Nation-State Law – law passed by the Israeli Parliament on July 19, 2018, which codifies in Israel's Basic Law that Israel is the home of the Jewish nation with Jerusalem its capital, and the Hebrew calendar its official calendar. It establishes Hebrew as the sole official language and grants Arabic a special status, and it recognizes Jewish and Israeli holidays, memorial days, and the Jewish Sabbath as national holidays and days of rest - while guaranteeing the right of all Israeli citizens and residents to celebrate their holidays and days of rest. The law, which passed with 62 in favor, 55 against, and 2 abstentions, has sparked controversy within Israeli society.