Blood libel - is it REALLY a history of the past?

The false accusation of Jews stating that they use Christian children's blood to produce matzos for Passover was originally invented, as far as we can nowadays state, in 1144 in England. It was concocted after the death by stabbing of a local boy, William of Norwich. Later on it was given, as a phenomenon, the name 'blood libel' and remained as such in history.
As a consequence pogroms in York and London followed and even 2 years ago DNA tests confirmed that members of one, Jewish family were pushed to their deaths into the well in Norwich around that time (the remains were uncovered and examined recently). Also, the cult of William, who was declared saint, followed.
And thus from possible explanation for murder plotted by cunning murderer looking for scape goats and antisemitism of 12th century England (in 13th century Jews were expelled for long ages) the blood libel was created.

For centuries it was often recalled and used against Jewish communities, until 16th century mostly in Western Europe, later on more often in Eastern one.
By the 20th century few probably believed it but it proved to be such a good antisemitic tool creating strong emotions that it was used by some repeatedly.

For example on the 1 May 1934, Der Sturmer, the most viscous antisemitic paper in Nazi Germany, published big cartoon with the headline 'THE JEWISH MURDER PLOT AGAINST NON-JEWISH HUMANITY IS UNCOVERED'. The picture presented two particularly hideous looking Jews holding a vessel to collect the blood streaming from the naked bodies of just murdered by them angelic Christian children. 
Not surprising at the time in this particular paper!

Sometime during the history (possibly in crusaders time) blood libel made its way to Middle East and was occasionally popular among Arabs there but never to the same extent as it was in Middle Ages in Europe, however the denial of its truth publicly made by Suleiman the Great signalizes it was well known. It was behind the Damascus affair and big pogrom of 1840.Yet the big revival in Arab world of this accusation invented in 12th century England happened after the II WW. Today it is often publicized in many ME countries as a fact (sic!!!!!!). For example in an address that aired on Al-Aqsa TV a Hamas run TV station in Gaza, on March 31, 2010, Salah Sultan, founder of the American Centre for Islamic Research in Columbus, Ohio, the Islamic American University in Southfield, Michigan and the Sultan Publishing Co. and described in 2005 as "one of America's most noted Muslim scholars," alleged that Jews kidnap Christians and others in order to slaughter them and use their blood for making matzos. Sultan, who is currently a lecturer of Muslim jurisprudence at the Cairo University stated that: "The Zionists kidnap several non-Muslims – Christians and others... this happened in a Jewish neighborhood in Damascus. They killed the French doctor, Toma, who used to treat the Jews and others for free, in order to spread Christianity. Even though he was their friend and they benefited from him the most, they took him on one of these holidays and slaughtered him, along with the nurse. Then they kneaded the matzos with the blood of Dr. Toma and his nurse. They do this every year. The world must know these facts about the Zionist entity and its terrible corrupt creed. The world should know this." (Translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute)

Horrible as it seems blood libel is taught to some Muslim children in the contemporary Middle East.

You would have thought it has vanished from 21st century Europe, wouldn't you?
Yet, it is not exactly true. In the UK, where once it was invented, blood libel was revived once again in the form - given slightly changed realities - nearly exact to the one used by Der Sturmer.

On the International Holocaust Remembrance Day this year Sunday Times in UK published cartoon drawn by Gerald Scarfe presenting PM Netanyahu building wall with bricks connected by Palestinian blood.

Some ask what the fuss is about? It was a joke. Yet in relation to a country that is constantly threatened by its neighbors as destined for annihilation, in relation to people who were nearly extinguished in Europe just 70 years ago, and on the very day when there was the remembrance day about this genocide; in a country that invented blood libel and whose PM of a war time (with all due respect to his brave deeds and decisions) when asked by desperate for war material Nazis for 10,000 trucks in exchange for a million Jews refused to negotiate the deal responding "What would I do with one million Jews? Where would I put them?"is a very bad joke.