The peace Process
http://web000.greece.k12.ny.us/SocialStudiesResources/GlobalHistoryandGeographyResources.htm
* What issue, event or idea does the cartoon address?
This cartoon addresses the conflict in Israel between the Palestinians and the Israelites. Although Palestine has inhabited the area for a very long time, the Israelites moved in after world war II with support from America. Israel is the holy land for Judaism and a very holy city in Islam, which creates high tensions.
* What key people or groups are part of the cartoon’s message?
There are two major groups of people represented here, the Palestinians and the Israelites. The Palestinians are represented by the man on the left, he wears a Palestinian hat called a ghutra, while the Israelite is represented by the man with the yarmulke and curly black hair.
* Choose one technique (symbolism, exaggeration, labeling, humor/irony, or stereotype) and briefly explain how the artist used it in the cartoon.
This artist uses exaggeration to get their point across. In reality, the two groups are not really strangling each other, and their leaders, Mahmoud Abbas and Shimon Peres, engage in peace talks. However, the throttling is symbolic of the hate that each side has toward the other and the violence that is present.
* What is the message of the cartoon? What do you think is the cartoonist’s opinion or point of view on this issue?
The artist is portraying the irony of the “peace process” that is hardly peaceful. He is also making the statement that it will take a long time before either side is willing to give up it’s symbolic stranglehold on the other.
Filed under: Dan, Week of September 19
