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Hollywood stars and industry veterans denounced the recent boycott of Israeli film institutions, arguing it recalls dark eras of history and blocks dialogue for peace.
Over 5,000 Hollywood stars, directors and other film workers, including Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo, have signed a pledge to boycott Israeli film institutions, according to the advocacy group Film Workers for Palestine.
“Inspired by Filmmakers United Against Apartheid who refused to screen their films in apartheid South Africa, we pledge not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions — including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies — that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people,” the pledge said.
Since then, 1,200 prominent members of the film industry signed an open letter released by the non-profit entertainment industry organizations Creative Community For Peace (CCFP) and The Brigade, condemning the efforts of the boycott. These include industry veterans such as Mayim Bialik of “The Big Bang Theory,” KISS founding member Gene Simmons, “Will and Grace” co-star Debra Messing, television personality Sharon Osbourne, Game Show Host Howie Mandel, and media mogul Haim Saban who helped bring shows like Power Rangers to the United States.
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“The pledge circulated under the banner of ‘Film Workers for Palestine’ is not an act of conscience. It is a document of misinformation that advocates for arbitrary censorship and the erasure of art,” the letter argued. “To censor the very voices trying to find common ground and express their humanity, is wrong, ineffective, and a form of collective punishment.”
The letter also stressed that “Israeli film institutions are not government entities. They are often the loudest critics of government policy.”
“Israel’s film industry includes groundbreaking, celebratory, and critical projects about Palestinians and Jews, which many of you have lauded and celebrated. Israel’s film community is restless, argumentative, and independent, where directors challenge ministers and many of the very festivals you target, consistently program dissent.”
The letter warned against repeating history, citing Nazi Germany’s propaganda machine, Soviet censorship, and Hollywood’s blacklists. “Every time it was dressed up as virtue. And every time it was oppression. Every time, its targets expanded,” it said.
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“History warns us. Censorship has been used to silence filmmakers before: Nazi Germany’s propaganda machine, Soviet censorship, and even Hollywood’s own blacklists. Every time it was dressed up as virtue. And every time it was oppression. Every time, its targets expanded,” the letter read.
Creative Community For Peace also released individual commentary, including from Bialik, who said: “Artists and creatives have a unique opportunity and responsibility to remind the world of our shared humanity. Boycotting filmmakers, studios, production companies and individuals simply because they are Israeli fuels division and contributes to a disturbing culture of marginalization. Additionally, this boycott pledge does nothing to end the war in Gaza, bring the hostages home, or help curb the alarming rise of antisemitism globally.”
A spokesperson for Film Workers for Palestine told Fox News Digital, “We are thrilled to announce today that the number of signatories to our pledge has climbed to over 5,000, with major new names including Diego Luna, Jonathan Glazer, Laura Poitras, and Toni Collette.”
The organization added further that “The opposing letter from the so-called ‘Creative Community for Peace’ is nothing more than thinly veiled anti-Palestinian racism, using the language of collective punishment while Israel collectively punishes civilians in Gaza in the worst possible way: through genocide. It comes as no surprise from a group which, according to LA County business registration documents, has long been registered as an ‘additional business name’ of – or a front group for – StandWithUs (also known as the Israel Emergency Alliance), a pro-Israeli settler lobby organisation with close ties to Israel’s government.”
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