Amidst the devastation in Palestine, there has been a debate as to whether or not celebrities and influencers with large platforms are obligated to speak on the matter. But when thinking about this, it is important to realise this isn’t just any other political discussion – this is a genocide.

As of the 22nd of November, 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israeli attacks carried out in Gaza between the 7th and 8th of October, 2023, and the subsequent bombings and attacks (that have only today reached a temporary ceasefire) have resulted in the death of around 13 300 Palestinians, including approximately 5000 children. Many people are unaccounted for and even more people are still trapped under the rubble of destroyed buildings. Israel has bombed their hospitals, denied them access to basic necessities such as water and electricity, and killed countless innocent civilians and journalists who are trying to speak out against their actions. The deaths in Palestinians have only risen in the past few months, leading to an uproar of protests worldwide to free Palestine. Yet, the same sentiments of rage cannot be seen from celebrities.

Palestine has been occupied by Israel since 1967, meaning that their lives have been held hostage by Israel’s military rule for decades. On October 7th of this year, Hamas attacked Israel, which is an armed resistance group, committed to creating an Islamic-Palestinian state. This attack on Israel sparked outrage among celebrities on social media as Kylie Jenner, Justin Bieber, Gal Gadot and numerous other A-listers showed their support for Israel. But this begs the question – where is all this support for Palestinians? And do these celebrities even bother to educate themselves beforehand? Israel has only been posting propaganda, spreading the rhetoric that Hamas has ‘beheaded’ Israeli babies and committed other atrocities. The Times of Israel published an article that ‘releases horrifying images of infants murdered by Hamas’. However, this picture has been exposed to be mere propaganda as the color of ‘blood’ is clearly the wrong shade. Meanwhile, there are countless videos and images of Palestinian babies shaking from Israel’s bombings covered in blood, mothers and fathers crying out while holding their children’s decapitated parts. Where is the outrage for this from the biggest names of Hollywood? From the voices that influence millions of people?

Celebrities and social media influencers have long been involved in social justice and political matters from Black Lives Matter to Russia’s attacks on Ukraine beginning in 2022. Meanwhile, Palestine has been suffering for decades without nearly as much awareness being raised from people with big platforms. But is it celebrities’ responsibility to speak out on these issues? Well, it certainly leaves a great impact when they do. Bella Hadid has been one of the most prominent celebrities speaking out in support for Palestine, and many people have admired her courage to do so, despite the hostility that came with it. Both the Hadid sisters have condemned the Israeli attacks that have left Gaza devastated and have stated that ‘supporting Palestinians is not supporting Hamas’. The Israel government’s response to this was to call out the Hadids on their official Instagram account and condemn them. Unsurprisingly, this led to an onslaught of death threats and online harassment sent to the Hadids. It is clear that any celebrity who condemns the Israel government’s actions and supports Palestine have been punished. Bella Hadid claims that her advocacy for Palestine has lost her jobs and even affected her personal relationships. She said, “I had so many companies that stopped working with me,” and “I have friends that completely dropped me.” Similarly, Dutch footballer Anwar-Al-Ghazi lost his contract with the German club Mainz due to his support for Palestine. There are many others who have faced similar circumstances for standing up for Palestine, which only culminates in a culture of ignorance and silence, whilst lives are being taken away on just another side of the globe. Despite the backlash, several celebrities have sent in an open letter to President Joe Biden demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. These names included Andrew Garfield, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Strong, Sandra Oh, Oscar Isaac, Cate Blanchett and many more.

This is the kind of action we can follow when we are presented with expert claims. It is important for us to approach expert evidence with a healthy dose of skepticism. This does not mean dismissing claims outright, but rather, adopting a position of cautious inquiry. Trust in experts remains vital, but it should always be accompanied by a willingness to question and seek additional evidence.

If celebrities are not speaking out for Palestine, the rest of the world will. Protests have been ongoing in the USA, the UK, Indonesia, Spain, Malaysia, and more. Standing in solidarity and not letting this mass ethnic cleansing be repressed is of utmost importance. As one of Israel’s most powerful allies, the US has played a large role in funding the violence against Palestine. Citizens must start urging Congress to end all US military assistance to Israel. As of now, we should all contribute to their freedom through boycotting companies that are associated with Israel and continuing to use our voices. We must remember that humans are being robbed of their livelihood and families, and we must keep reminding people of the violence that they face on a daily basis. If you are tired of hearing about Palestinians’ suffering, imagine how tired they are of going through all of the suffering. Only the freedom of Palestine will show that humanity still exists and will continue to persist.

Israel claims to be defending themselves from Hamas terrorists, but do these terrorists include children who dream of eating bread and seeing their family again? They are not collateral damage for self-defense – these are human lives, some of which have not even been lived yet. Noah Schnapp, the star of ‘Stranger Things’ who has a net worth of $3 million has claimed that as a Jewish American, he is ‘afraid’. But he seems to be living comfortably while he promotes that ‘Zionism is sexy’ on social media. This shows the cruelty and tone-deaf nature of celebrities. Not only are people criticizing Schnapp for this, but they are also pointing out the double standards as someone like Bella Hadid loses jobs for supporting the freedom of Palestine while Zionists are facing little to no repercussions.

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Hollywood Reacts to: Destruction

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