New York (Web Desk): Several Hollywood prominent actors, artists executives and advocates, have signed an open letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to call for a ceasefire in the raging Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Last week, the United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution, sponsored by Russia, that would have called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. Pakistan co-sponsored the Russian resolution.
Renowned actors including Pakistani-British actor Riz Ahmed, Mark Ruffalo known for his iconic role of Hulk, academy award winner Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton and academy award winner Joaquin Phoenix, Charles Dance, Steve Coogan, Miriam Margolyes, Peter Mullan, Maxine Peake and Khalid Abdalla are among more than two thousand people from across the arts who have signed a letter saying that: “Our governments are not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them.”
The artists condemn “every act of violence against civilians and every infringement of international law whoever perpetrates them”.
Citing Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant’s depiction of Palestinians as “human animals”, directors, comedians, authors and poets, say Palestinians “have become people to whom almost anything can be done”. The minister had made the comments while announcing Israel’s “complete siege”, and halting supply of water, power, food and medicine to 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza.
The letter say that “Palestinians whose grandparents were forced out of their homes at the barrel of a gun [in 1948] are again being told to flee – or face collective punishment on an unimaginable scale.”
The signatories include producers, curators, writers, DJs, architects and designers who support the “global movement against the destruction of Gaza and the mass displacement of the Palestinian people”. They cite the UN’s undersecretary for humanitarian affairs Martin Griffiths, who has said that ‘the spectre of death’ is hanging over Gaza, and call for “an immediate ceasefire and the opening of Gaza’s crossings to allow humanitarian aid to enter unhindered”.
Created by a group of Hollywood insiders calling itself Artists4Ceasefire, the letter has received more than 3,930 signatures.
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The Biden administration has so far not issued any public statements in response to this or any other letter sharing the views of celebrities on the conflict.
On Thursday, President Biden has reiterated the “unwavering U.S. support for Israel” in recent statements. The White House has not specifically called for a cease-fire but has called for minimizing civilian casualties. Also, on Oct. 18, Biden announced the United States is providing $100 million in humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank.
Meanwhile, over 700 people from the Hollywood industry, including actors Gal Gadot, Michael Douglas and Jerry Seinfeld, signed an open letter in support of Israel in its conflict with Hamas, the Creative Community for Peace said on Thursday.
the letter called for the return of hostages and also called on the entertainment community to refrain from sharing misinformation about the war.
