Arab Paper That Libeled Jews Closed by Owner Following Outcry

An Australian Arabic newspaper which published the claim that Jews practice ritual murder has been closed by its owner in the wake of a public outcry.

Morris Tadros, publisher of Al-Moharrer Al-Arabi (The Arab Editor), printed a front-page apology to the Jewish community in the last issue of the newspaper, which came out almost a month after the offensive article appeared.

The blood libel, as it has been called since Medieval times, was published in an issue of the newspaper that came out during Passover, and the article claimed that the blood of slain non-Jews was extracted by Jews for use in making matzah.

Although Tadros has claimed he was “extremely upset” at the publication of the article, he took no action until Jewish leaders publicly declared that they were taking him to the New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Board under state anti-racism legislation.

In an article in this week’s Australian Jewish News, Tadros said he “would never become involved in a newspaper again.”

But the Robert Klarnet, public affairs director for the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the matter is still being pursued. He said the Jewish community will ask to see in writing future activities of Tadros and the staff member who placed the article in the paper.

The article, titled “Blood for Zion’s Unleavened Bread,” included claims that “directives” of Judaism include killing “gentiles, who are not different from animals” and said that the shedding of “Muslim blood is justifiable” for Jews.

Jews were depicted as followers of a religion that finds it “easy” to murder “hundreds of human beings, even the entire human race.”

Holy Jewish texts were depicted as “perverted books” with “bloody teachings.”

In its apology, the paper claimed the article had been “erroneously and unintentionally” published after it was received from a newspaper in the Persian Gulf state of Abu Dhabi.