PAUL CONRAD: The new Ted Rall? Matthew Hoy thinks so.

UDPATE: Reader Simon Hawkin adds:

While looking at the cartoon you referenced, I realized the airplane flying low towards the two minarets must have been hijacked. Since the airplane has the Star of David markings, it must be Israeli, and the hijackers are Palestinians or their sympathizers. I am sure, however, that this is not what the author of the cartoon had in mind.

Meanwhile, Robert Musil adds some supporting detail to Hawkin’s hypothesis, noting that:

I believe the two towers featured in Conrad’s cartoon are not mosques. They appear to be the towers of the Christian Bethlehem Church of the Nativity and another church nearby. [Scroll down to “Church of the Nativity” and click on the little magnifying glass to enlarge the tiny picture.]

So we can conclude that Conrad’s drawing is either (1) an incredibly subtle piece of anti-Palestinian propaganda, since it shows a hijacked El Al airplane being smashed into two Christian churches, presumably by Palestinians; or (2) an incredibly inept piece of anti-Israeli propaganda, since it shows a hijacked El Al airplane being smashed into two Christian churches, presumably by Palestinians. Having visited his website and seen his other work, I don’t think subtlety is his hallmark, so I’m going with inept for now. But I could be wrong.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Okay, I think it’s safe to rule out subtlety. Reader Scott McKim sends this link to another tasteless airplane cartoon by Conrad from last fall.