JOURNALfor the STUDYof ANTISEMITISM

34 JOURNAL FOR THE STUDY OF ANTISEMITISM [ VOL. 3:27
negative editorials, cartoons, and letters—that is, few negative news regarding
Jews and/or Israel have a significant, and disproportional, impact on
Mexican public opinion.
Regarding the contents of the media discourse, 2010 has shown both a
continuation of previous patterns as well as changing trends. Zionism,
which, as stated, has been identified with racism, colonialism, and imperialism,
became an incorporated and implicit argument of the major focus—
i.e., the State of Israel portrayed as a belligerent and war-prone state,
oppressive and genocidal. The axis of human rights violation has gained an
increased presence among the critical arguments; the Arab-Israeli conflict
continued to be portrayed as part of the clash between the imperialist West
and the Arab and Muslim Third World.
Editorials published in the Mexican press in 2010 put emphasis on
Israel’s conduction of “war crimes” in Lebanon and Gaza; Israel’s “terrorist”
traits, and its implementation of “massacre,” “genocide,” and “collective
punishment” in Gaza to a million and a half Palestinians; the building
of a wall in the West Bank that seeks to “exterminate” 4.5 million Palestinians;
Israel’s “violation” of international law in the occupied territories and
worldwide; the Zionist Jewish state as a racist one on nationality and citizenship
issues; and Israel as an “apartheid” state. 15
Prejudice also may be found or revealed by omission of relevant information
that could show Israel’s perspective as an actor/active player. While
this omission differs from explicit prejudice association, it also has a meaningful
impact.
Insofar as the State of Israel became the main focus of the arguments,
the fluid interconnections established between anti-Israelism and historical
antisemitism, rather than between anti-Israelism and dilution of the Holocaust,
became the radicalized point of departure of the dispute.
To exemplify fluid interconnections of meanings, we may point to the
overlapping of anti-Israelism/the Holocaust through analogies, parallels,
15. Andres Pascoe Pierce, “La década del terror” (A Decade of Terror), Crónica,
January 2, 2010; Xavier Caño Tamayo, “Sobre una bomba de violaciones de
derechos humanos” (About a human rights violations bomb), Rumbo de México,
January 4, 2010; José Steinsleger, “¿Cuándo caerá el muro?” (When will the wall
fall?), La Jornada. January 6, 2010; Héctor Delgado, “ONU monosabia, ignora la
autodeterminación” (Mono-wise United Nations ignores self-determination), Uno
más uno, February 11, 2010; Manu Dorberier (newspaper editorial), “El que se
somete a la infamia, se convierte en infame” (He who puts himself under infamy
becomes infamous), El Sol de México, February 20, 2010; “Lula en Israel” (Lula in
Israel), La Jornada, March 16, 2010; José Steinsleger, “¿Israelíes o judíos?” (Israelis
or Jews?), La Jornada, April 21, 2010; Juan Gelman, “Prohibido y ya” (Forbidden,
that’s it), Milenio Diario, May 29, 2010.