The Philadelphia Inquirer, under pressure from Pennsylvania Republican senatorial hopeful Dave McCormick, retracted an anti-Semitic cartoon that portrayed terror group Hamas as a helpless civilian entity being crushed by Israel's military.
"In hindsight, the cartoon depicting an oversized Israeli military boot stepping on Hamas terrorists hiding among civilians in response to the Oct. 7 attack should not have been published," the outlet's editorial board said in a Wednesday evening statement. "Regardless of the interpretation, the illustration reinforces pernicious anti-Semitic tropes about Israeli aggression."
That statement came just one day after McCormick told the Inquirer to "take a hard look in the mirror" over its decision to side with Hamas following the terror group's brutal attack on Israel. "Philadelphia, especially its Jewish residents, deserve better from their city paper," McCormick said.
The @PhillyInquirer ed board needs to take a hard look in the mirror.
Hamas is responsible for the brutal killing of hundreds of innocent Israelis, & yet the Inquirer is taking their side.
Philadelphia, especially its Jewish residents, deserve better from their city paper. pic.twitter.com/CXTbLP0sdB
— Dave McCormick (@DaveMcCormickPA) October 17, 2023
The Inquirer is not the only prominent Pennsylvania actor McCormick appears to have pushed to solidify their support for the Jewish state.
The Republican on Wednesday also called out his Democratic opponent, Sen. Bob Casey (D., Pa.), for failing to condemn left-wing members of Congress who rushed to blame Israel after a failed Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket seemingly caused a blast at a Gazan hospital. Less than an hour later, Casey issued a statement criticizing "abhorrent statements from college students to elected officials blaming Israel for the murderous actions of Hamas."
McCormick launched his bid to unseat Casey last month, pledging to combat an "America in decline" due to the "failed leadership of Joe Biden." While McCormick roughly one year ago lost a contentious primary battle against celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, he already enjoys widespread support from party leaders, including National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman Steve Daines (R., Mont.).