Hollywood: Entertainment Industry Leaders Sign Pro-Israel Statement
A statement signed by more than 190 entertainment industry leaders was published, criticizing Hamas' actions in the Middle East. A pro-Israel organization has been circulating the "Commitment to Justice and Peace," the headlined statement's title, which has been signed by Hollywood actors, executives, producers and directors.
Some of the big names on the statement's signature list include actors Minnie Driver, Kelsey Grammer, Tony Goldwyn, Seth Rogen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sarah Silverman and Sylvester Stallone. Directors, producers and showrunners like Diane English, Avi Lerner, Jerry Weintraub, Scooter Braun, Mayim Bialik, Aaron Sorkin, Ivan Reitman, William Friedkin, Doug Ellin, Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Sherry Lansing, Ryan Kavanaugh, Greg Berlanti and Haim Saban also appear as some of the many famous names that appear on the statement.
"While we stand firm in our commitment to peace and justice, we must also stand firm against 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!' The son of a Hamas founder has also commented about the true nature of Hamas," the statement reads, as reported on The Hollywood Reporter.
"Hamas cannot be allowed to rain rockets on Israeli cities, nor can it be allowed to hold its own people hostage," the statement reads. "Hospitals are for healing, not for hiding weapons. Schools are for learning, not for launching missiles. Children are our hope, not our human shields."
Several publications will be running the statement as an advertisement. The statement has been circulating early because of efforts by Lana Melman, the director of the Creative Community for Peace organization. Melman told The Hollywood Reporter she had collected and confirmed signatures over the past two weeks.
This statement adds further division among celebrities who have gone public with their opinions about the most recent conflict in Gaza. Kavanaugh and actor Jon Voight both recently wrote pro-Israel statements, while actors and couple Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz both supported pro-Palestinian statements.
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