WaPo deletes and apologizes for Hamas cartoon after backlash calls it ‘racist’

The Washington Post has deleted a political cartoon that mocked Hamas, after a backlash from readers and staffers readership, according to news reports.

The cartoon, titled “Human shields,” was published in the Nov. 8 print and online edition. It depicted women and children tied with rope to a caricature of a Hamas spokesperson saying, “How dare Israel attack civilians.”

In a note to readers, the newspaper's opinion editor, David Shipley, apologized for approving the cartoon, which he said “was seen by many readers as racist.”

“The reaction to the image convinced me that I had missed something profound, and divisive, and I regret that,” he also said.

In an email to Post staff, Sally Buzbee, executive editor, noted the “deep concerns and conversations today in our newsroom” and directed staffers to Shipley’s note to readers.