Hollywood Heavyweights Blame Hamas for Gaza Bloodshed

Sunday, August 24, 2014 |  Israel Today Staff

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A bevy of Hollywood’s leading figures over the weekend attested to the utter failure of the attempted cultural boycott of Israel when they signed a statement blaming Hamas for the current violence in and around the Gaza Strip.

Championed by the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Minnie Driver, Kelsey Grammer, Seth Rogen, and Sarah Silverman, the letter read:

“Hamas cannot be allowed to rain rockets on Israeli cities, nor can it be allowed to hold its own people hostage. Hospitals are for healing, not for hiding weapons. Schools are for learning, not for launching missiles. Children are our hope, not our human shields.”

It also blasted Palestinian groups that maintain“ideologies of hatred and genocide which are reflected in Hamas’ charter, Article 7 of which reads, ‘There is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!’”

In that particular clause, the Hamas charter is actually quoting from the Hadith, an authoritative collection of Mohammed's post-Koranic teachings, deeds and sayings.

The statement was signed by no fewer than 187 actors, directors, writers, agents, executives and other Hollywood personalities. It was the initiative of the Creative Community for Peace.

David Lonner, a representative for the group, told Deadline Hollywood, “There’s been a lot of confusion in the media of what’s actually going in the Gaza Strip, but for those of who go to Israel, it’s not complicated at all. So, there’s been a feeling for a while now of how to get a message across and un-complicate matters, and we think this (statement) is a step in the right direction.”

Earlier in this summer’s Gaza war, a spattering of international celebrities issued personal statements that appeared to be backing the Palestinian side, only to quickly retract their words following harsh criticism. Married stars Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem put their signatures to a letter accusing Israel of genocide, but later admitted they were not well versed on the conflict.

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