Sunday Times editor sorry over cartoon
THE acting editor of the Sunday Times has echoed News International boss Rupert Murdoch’s apology about a “grotesque” cartoon which appeared in the paper, sparking claims of anti-semitism.
Martin Ivens met representatives of the Jewish community to express regret for publishing the Gerald Scarfe image, which appears to show Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paving a wall with the blood and limbs of Palestinians.
The cartoon, which was published on Holocaust Memorial Day, shows Mr Netanyahu holding a trowel and carries the lines: “Israeli elections. Will cementing peace continue?”
The acting editor said: “The Sunday Times abhors antisemitism and would never set out to cause offence.
“That was not the intention last Sunday. Gerald Scarfe is consistently brutal and bloody in his depictions, but last weekend he crossed a line. The timing – on Holocaust Memorial Day – was inexcusable. The associations were grotesque and I’d like to apologise unreservedly. This was a terrible mistake.”
His apology followed that of Mr Murdoch, who said in a tweet: “We owe major apology for grotesque, offensive cartoon.”
Mick Davis, chairman of the Jewish Leadership Council, said: “I welcome the genuine apology from the Sunday Times.”
The Board of Deputies of British Jews has lodged a complaint with the Press Complaints Commission.