The New York Times this week took the step of apologising for a cartoon published in the Opinion pages of its international edition after it drew widespread condemnation for being anti-Semitic.


The cartoon, which was published last Thursday in the print newspaper, was later described by The New York Times as portraying a “blind President Trump, wearing a skullcap, being led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, drawn as a dog on a leash with a Star of David collar.”


In an editor’s note, The New York Times said “the image was offensive, and it was an error of judgment to publish it.”


Eileen Murphy, a New York Times spokeswoman, added: “Such imagery is always dangerous, and at a time when anti-Semitism is on the rise worldwide, it’s all the more unacceptable. We are committed to making sure nothing like this happens again.”


US President Trump also reacted angrily to the cartoon, tweeting this week: “The New York Times has apologized for the terrible Anti-Semitic Cartoon, but they haven’t apologized to me for this or all of the Fake and Corrupt news they print on a daily basis. They have reached the lowest level of “journalism,” and certainly a low point in @nytimes history!”


The cartoon was initially published by Portugal’s national Expresso newspaper, with the famous cartoonist António its author.
António has seen his cartoons published in the weekly paper since 1974.


In a note published in the Expresso newspaper this week, António denied charges of anti-Semitism.


“The [cartoon] is a criticism of Israeli policies and who are acting criminally in Palestine”, said António, saying the image had nothing to with the Jewish people.


He also described the decision in comments by The New York Times to withdraw the cartoon and issue an apology as “worrying”, telling Sic television “it is not just any newspaper. The New York Times being vulnerable to pressure groups is something I would not like to hear. But, it’s a fact. Probably it has to do with their line of financing. I don’t know. It’s a sad spectacle”, charged the cartoonist.
Internationally, the cartoon drew extensive criticism, including CNN, Fox News, The Jerusalem Post and the Times of Israel, who decided to publish the cartoon.


In comments published in The Times of Israel, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, of Netanyahu’s Likud party, said “the anti-Semitic caricature published by the New York Times is shocking and reminiscent of Nazi propaganda during the Holocaust.”
He added: “We expect anyone who truly fights racism and hatred of Jews to demand an apology from the newspaper and fire those responsible for publishing a Nazi-style cartoon in the newspaper.”