Die Welt Sees No Anti-Semitism

The below photo appears on the first page of yesterday’s edition of the German daily Die Welt:

It accompanies an article titled, “Foreigners Want to Leave Egypt,” and the caption to the photo reads: “Soldiers hailed by Egyptians after the withdrawal of police forces. Nonetheless, the army has remained loyal to President Hosni Mubarak.”

But have a closer look at the caricature being held up by a protestor in the background. It appears to be a depiction of Hosni Mubarak.

Neither the caption nor the article in Die Welt make any reference to anti-Semitic and/or “anti-Zionist” sentiment among the protestors.

Although the Star of David cannot be missed in the full-sized print version, the editors of Die Welt appear perhaps to have realized its significance only after publication. Thus, the photo has been scrubbed from the “e-paper” pdf-version of the daily that can be purchased online. Instead, the “e-paper” version features a photo of Mohammed ElBaradei speaking to protestors with a bullhorn. Both photos are credited to the German wire service DPA.

But if Die Welt, however unwittingly, has come across evidence of anti-Semitism among the protestors, why should it cover it up? Why not precisely devote coverage to it? And if the DPA photographer came across evidence of anti-Semitism, must not other western journalists in Egypt have come across such evidence as well?