Israeli Basketball Team vs. the Rest of the World – Original Caricature Signed by Israeli Political Leaders

Israeli Basketball Team vs. the Rest of the World – Original Caricature Signed by Israeli Political Leaders
"Israeli Basketball Team vs. the Rest of the World". An original caricature by the illustrator and caricaturist "Ze'ev", 1974-1976.
Caricature by Ze'ev for his column "Al Kol Panim" in the Friday supplement of the "HaAretz" daily newspaper, reflecting the atmosphere and balance of power in Israel and the world in the days following the Yom Kippur war.
Prime Minister Golda Meir as a basketball coach appears in the center, dressed in sports shoes with a Magen David and a sweatsuit with the State of Israel emblem, holding a board with a list for assigning the basketball team members.
Sitting on the bench are the team members: Abba Eben, Yigal Alon, Pinchas Sapir, Israel Galili, Moshe Dayan, Shimon Peres, Gad Ya'akobi, Haim Yosef Zadok, Yitzchak Rabin, Haim Bar-Lev – all wearing team shirts showing a hawk, which is the team emblem. At the end of the bench are two more members, wearing 'tembel' hats with the letter Mem; and to the side – Dr. Yosef Burg, Moshe Kol and Menachem Begin.
On the other side are the opponents, wearing undershirts: Leonid Brezhnev, Anwar Sadat, King Hussein and Henry Kissinger – representing the USSR, Egypt, Jordan and the USA. The figure of President Hafez-el-Assad of Syria is missing, and only his shoes and undershirt are there; on a further bench sit PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat (a grenade on his shirt) and the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Japan, France and England. The Referee is Kurt Waldheim, UN Secretary General during the Yom Kippur War.
The caricature is signed by all the Israeli personalities who appear in it: Knesset members, ministers, Prime Ministers and Chiefs of Staff, all of them amongst the the most important figures and leaders in Israeli political history. Also signed by Henry Kissinger.
"Ze'ev" (Ya'akov Farkash, 1923-2002) was one of the greatest Israeli illustrators and caricaturists and a recipient of the Israel Prize. Well known for his minimalistic illustrations based on symbols or prominent characteristics of the figures he drew. Ze'ev was born in Budapest and started painting at a young age, even though he was color-blind. During World War II he was sent to the Buchenwald and Dachau concentration camps. He tried to immigrate to Israel after the war but was deported to a detention camp in Cyprus. He finally arrived in Palestine in 1947 and participated in the War of Independence. In 1952, with the assistance of Ephraim Kishon, Ze'ev started to work as a caricaturist for the "Ma'ariv" daily newspaper; over the years he also drew caricatures for the "Davar HaShavu'a" and "HaAretz" newspapers (where he was employed almost until his death). Ze'ev worked also for foreign newspapers and illustrated dozens of books.
69x47cm, framed to 85x64cm. Good condition. Some of the signatures are faded. Slight moisture damage on the right. Very minor stains.