FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show An Israeli Newspaper’s Depiction Of Barack Obama?

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

An image shared on Twitter claims to show an Israeli newspaper’s depiction of former President Barack Obama.


Verdict: False

While the image is legitimate, it originates from a Belgian newspaper, not an Israeli newspaper.

Fact Check:

Obama recently said that he considers the day of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting the “single darkest day” of his presidency, according to Buzzfeed. The president said in a statement on social media that those impacted by the massacre drew “purpose” to “make sure other children…never have to experience” such an event, People reported.

The tweet shows an image from a newspaper that depicts Obama and his wife, former First Lady Michelle Obama, as apes. (Was Secretary Of Education Miguel Cardona Arrested By The U.S. Military?)

“This is how they treat Black people in the state of Israel. This was the first African-American president being compare to monkey an animal in Israel did any in the Jewish community in America apologize and blackness in Israel. Van Jones,” reads the tweet.

Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the image actually originates from the Belgian newspaper De Morgen. The image was reported about by news outlets such as VRT and The Independent. The image appeared in De Morgen’s satirical section.

The newspaper apologized for depicting the Obamas as apes, according to The Independent.

The fallacy that was also made this time is the belief that racism is generally no longer accepted and that it can therefore be safely laughed at,” the newspaper stated in an apology article that has since been deleted

Check Your Fact previously debunked an image claiming to show a New York Times article about how former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried ate 3,000 shrimp.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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