Politico took down a cartoon featuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after critics claimed it was antisemitic.

The cartoon, "Ship of Neocons," which was published Friday, showed world leaders sitting on a rickety ship alongside a handful of top Republican officials wearing blood-stained Jewish prayer shawls and yarmulkes, the New York Post reported.

The boat featured a sign that read the Hebrew word for "enemy" and is headed off a cliff toward Iran. Netanyahu is depicted with a large nose sitting on a large bag of cash.

"We removed a cartoon by independent cartoonist Sean Delonas from this week's gallery after weighing comments from readers that it did not meet our standards," Politico said in a statement.

"Sharp arguments and provocative imagery in political cartoons are within bounds," Politico added. "Images that could be reasonably interpreted to rely on ethnic stereotypes or employing tropes that have been involved in historically hateful ways are not.

"The selection of cartoons in the popular weekly feature is designed to be representative of a broad range of opinions — not an endorsement of the views of any particular cartoon or cartoonist," Politico continued.

The cartoon also includes Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., wearing a bloody yarmulke and pouring blood on an elephant, and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, draped in a bloodied prayer shawl, the Post said.

Delonas defended the cartoon in a post on his website following a Washington Free Beacon article.

"As is typical, neocons avoid debating any issue, which in my case is a cartoon about the war with Iran that Israel instigated," Delonas said. "Instead, they resort to name-calling against all they disagree with."

Delonas also rejected allegations of antisemitism.

"[The Washington Free Beacon] implied Netanyahu's 'exaggerated' nose was 'age-old efforts to dehumanize Jews,'" Delonas said. " All the figures have exaggerated features — it's a cartoon.

"An anti-Semitic claim of using the word 'Amalek' was alluded to by her as well. A recent comment by Benjamin Netanyahu about Iran was, 'Remember what Amalek did to you. We remember and we act.' Am I not allowed to quote Bibi's religious references? I used 'Amalek' because Bibi used it."

Delonas said neocons have "overused" the word "antisemitism," and charged that it has lost all meaning,

"People need to grow a backbone and stand up against these neocons," Delonas said. "I am an American citizen, not an Israeli, and I will express whatever opinions I choose, especially about a foreign country."

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