PM Binyamin Netanyahu
PM Binyamin NetanyahuFlash 90

A cartoon published in a German newspaper this week portrayed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu as an obstacle to peace.

The cartoon showed Netanyahu poisoning the “dove of Middle East peace.” On Wednesday, Al Arabiya reported on the cartoon that was published by the German newspaper Stuttgarter Zeitung.

The newspaper also posted the cartoon on its Facebook page.

The drawing depicts Netanyahu as he spills poison from a bottle marked "settlement construction" onto a piece of bread, as the dove stands next to him, holding an olive branch in its mouth.

The Israeli embassy has reportedly delivered a letter to the daily's editor in chief protesting the drawing.

Last month, another German newspaper, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, published a cartoon that depicted the State of Israel as a ravenous monster.

The cartoon showed Israel as a beast devouring German military weapons. The picture appeared alongside two reviews of books about Israel.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center denounced the newspaper for publishing the anti-Semitic cartoon, saying that while Israel “is never above reproach or criticism, the depiction of the Jewish state as a ravenous monster deploys a classic tool of dehumanization/animalization.”

The newspaper later said that it regretted "misunderstandings" caused by the caption and that publishing the cartoon "was a mistake."

The image used in the cartoon had been taken from a stock library and wasn't originally intended as a depiction of Israel, the newspaper said.

In January, the Sunday Times published a cartoon showing Netanyahu building a wall with the bodies of Palestinian Authority Arabs.

The cartoon by Gerald Scarfe, which appeared on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, depicts a scowling Netanyahu waving a blood-covered trowel, laying bricks in a wall in which PA Arab men, women and children are trapped. Underneath are the words, "Israeli elections - will cementing peace continue?"

The cartoon sparked outrage and condemnation in both Israel and Britain. Ambassador Daniel Taub, who represents Israel in London, commented on the cartoon, saying, "Israelis have a longstanding commitment to free speech and a high threshold for tolerating strong and even provocative criticism. This cartoon, however, bears no relation whatsoever to legitimate political comment.”

The owner of the newspaper, Rupert Murdoch, subsequently apologized for the cartoon, saying, Gerald Scarfe has never reflected the opinions of the Sunday Times. Nevertheless, we owe major apology for grotesque, offensive cartoon.”