In Egypt, anti-Semitic images and accusations have withstood war, periods of tension, and the advancement of peaceful relations. Prevalent since the founding of Israel in 1948, they continued after the 1979 peace treaty with Israel, and have not diminished even after the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993 and Israel’s continuing negotiations with the Palestinians. Also, contrary to some impressions, incidents of anti-Semitism in the Egyptian media are not aimed exclusively at particular Israeli political parties or officials, but have remained relatively consistent through Labor and Likud administrations.

The anti-Semitic images and accusations in the Egyptian media are prevalent in news stories, editorials, and most flagrantly, in political cartoons and caricatures. There are several common themes: Jews as a "satanic" force trying to undermine Islam; an international cabal of Jews seeking domination of the Middle East and the world; Jews controlling the American government; the equation of Jews with Nazis which often depends on illustrations of Israeli leaders wearing a swastika; (cartoon example) conspiracy theories alleging Israeli attempts to poison or corrupt Arab youths; an Egyptian version of the medieval "blood libel"; and graphic displays of Jews as demonic and sub-human figures bent on killing innocent Arabs. (cartoon example)

In recent years, outbursts of anti-Semitic rhetoric and imagery have intensified virtually automatically in response to periods of political strain between Egypt and Israel. The continuing dispute over Israel’s refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the allegations of Israeli troops killing Egyptian prisoners-of-war in 1956 both triggered waves of anti-Semitic attacks in the media, as did the dispute over Israeli settlements and the controversy over the opening of a new exit to a Hasmonean tunnel in Jerusalem in September 1996.

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