LONDON: An incendiary cartoon published by a Qatar-backed news website that shows US President Donald Trump and two Arab leaders apparently summoning the devil has been widely criticized online.
The cartoon, by US-based illustrator Katie Miranda, shows Trump, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi around a crystal ball, in a scene inspired by a real-life photocall during the inauguration of an anti-terror center in Riyadh earlier this month.
But the cartoon, published on Wednesday, shows the devil and an “underworld” below the leaders gathered around the crystal ball, with the line “we have been summoned!” and demons rejoicing at death and “more dead kids!”
It was published by the London-based website Middle East Eye, which despite claiming to be independent and having “no political master,” is widely believed to be backed by Qatar.
Many social media users slammed the publication of the cartoon. One pointed out the irony of the criticism leveled against the three leaders, who had met to inaugurate the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology — nicknamed “Etidal,” or “moderation” — which aims to promote moderation and counter the spread of extremism.
Saudi Twitter user @Alshega criticized the cartoon for making fun of the Etidal center, which was launched earlier this month during Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia.
Another user, from the UAE and who tweets @uae_12G, slammed the cartoon for mocking Saudi Arabia and the Arab and Muslim countries that participated in the Riyadh Summit. And another, tweeting @SBAlketbi, said that Qatar continues to show disrespect through the Middle East Eye website, which is edited by David Hearst, a former foreign correspondent for The Guardian.
Some of the Middle East Eye’s output is perceived by some as being in line with Doha’s stance on certain issues. The Trump “devil” cartoon carried a disclaimer saying the views expressed “do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.”
A former executive with Qatar’s Al-Jazeera TV network was reportedly closely involved with setting up the Middle East Eye, which had employed staff with links to organizations sympathetic to the Muslim Brotherhood, according to a press report from 2014. Al-Jazeera said at the time it had no links to the Middle East Eye.
The website was one of the several Qatar-backed media outlets to be blocked in Saudi Arabia and the UAE earlier this month, in an ongoing political spat with Doha over inflammatory comments attributed to the nation’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
Qatar News Agency (QNA) ran comments by the country’s leader said to have been made at a National Service graduation ceremony.
The emir reportedly endorsed Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah and criticized the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt for waging a campaign against Doha. Qatar later said its news agency had been hacked, although failed to provide concrete evidence of this.
Qatar-backed website slammed over cartoon showing Trump 'summoning devil'
Qatar-backed website slammed over cartoon showing Trump 'summoning devil'
Tucker Carlson claims he was detained at Israeli airport
DUBAI: Earlier this week, Tucker Carlson flew to Israel to interview US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, according to media reports.
Carlson, who reportedly refused to leave Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport complex, conducted the interview at the airport, after which he said he and his staff were detained and their passports were seized.
“Men who identified themselves as airport security took our passports, hauled our executive producer into a side room and then demanded to know what we spoke to Ambassador Huckabee about,” Carlson said in a statement to The New York Post.
However, Carlson’s claims have been contradicted by Huckabee and Israeli authorities.
Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor and Fox News host, said on social media platform X that “EVERYONE who comes in/out of Israel (every country for that matter) has passports checked & routinely asked security questions,” including himself, despite holding a diplomatic passport and visa.
Thanks @EFischberger for a more accurate report. EVERYONE who comes in/out of Israel (every country for that matter) has passports checked & routinely asked security questions. Even ME going in/out with Diplomatic Passport & Diplomatic Visa. https://t.co/UbblLiznMO
— Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) February 18, 2026
The US Embassy in Israel also described the interaction as routine passport control procedures.
The Israel Airports Authority said in a statement that Carlson and his staff “were not detained, delayed, or interrogated.”
They were asked “a few routine questions, in accordance with standard procedures applied to many travelers,” and this conversation took place in a separate room within the VIP lounge to protect their privacy, the statement added.
“No unusual incident occurred, and the Israel Airports Authority firmly rejects any other claims.”
Israeli Airports Authority:
— Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) February 18, 2026
Contrary to the reports, Tucker Carlson and his entourage were not detained, delayed, or interrogated.
Mr. Carlson and his party were politely asked a few routine questions, in accordance with standard procedures applied to many travelers.
The…
Carlson has faced criticism in recent years over his commentary on Israel, with critics accusing him of amplifying narratives that are hostile to Israel and, at times, antisemitic. He has also questioned Israel’s treatment of Christian communities in the region.
After Fox News canceled his show in April 2023, he launched his own program, “The Tucker Carlson Show” in 2024.
The show has featured controversial figures, including Darryl Cooper, who has made statements widely condemned as Holocaust denial, and white nationalist commentator Nick Fuentes.
In his interview with Fuentes, Carlson labeled Huckabee a “Christian Zionist.”
Carlson has also criticized Huckabee for not doing enough to protect Christian interests in the region. In one video, he said: “Why not go ahead and talk to Christians and find out their side of the story? Why aren’t American Christian leaders like Mike Huckabee or Ted Cruz, people who invoke the Christian Bible to justify what they’re doing, why haven’t they done this?”
Huckabee responded to the video on X, writing: “Instead of talking ABOUT me, why don’t you come talk TO me? You seem to be generating a lot of heat about the Middle East. Why be afraid of the light?”
Carlson accepted the invitation, and their teams coordinated the interview, leading to his brief visit to Israel.
