More Than 190 Hollywood Notables Sign Pro-Israel Statement Criticizing Hamas
“Hamas cannot be allowed to rain rockets on Israeli cities,” read the statement signed by more than 190 entertainment execs, actors, producers and showrunners
A pro-Israel activist organization is circulating a list of at least 190 names of high-profile Hollywood industry figures — studio heads, directors, producers, actors and managers — who have signed a statement criticizing the actions of Hamas.
Actors Kelsey Grammer, Sarah Silverman, Minnie Driver, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Seth Rogen, Josh Charles and Tony Goldwyn; showrunners Aaron Sorkin, Diane English, Mayim Bialik, Doug Ellin and Greg Berlanti; directors Ivan Reitman and William Friedkin; producers Avi Arad, Scooter Braun, Jerry Weintraub, Avi Lerner; execs Ryan Kavaunagh, Sherry Lansing and Amy Pascal and mogul Haim Saban are just a few of the 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, headlined “Commitment to Justice and Peace,” reads.
“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 added. The statement will appear as an ad in The Hollywood Reporter and other publications next week.
The statement was circulated on Saturday by Lana Melman, director of the Creative Community for Peace organization. Melman collected and confirmed signatures over the past two weeks, she told THR.
The Creative Community for Peace organization was founded November 2011. According to Melman’s bio as a contributor at the online newspaper Times of Israel, the organization aims to bring together “prominent members of the entertainment industry to counter the cultural boycott against Israel and promote an accurate image of the Jewish state.”
The statement concludes, “We join together in support of the democratic values we all cherish and in the hope that the healing and transformative power of the arts can be used to build bridges of peace.”
The letter follows the widely-circulated op-ed statements of Kavanaugh and Jon Voight, who wrote strongly worded Pro-Israel statements. Other celebrities, notably Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, have lent their name to pro-Palestinian statements during the most recent conflict in Gaza.
A full list of names who signed the “Commitment to Justice and Peace” statement is here.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/more-190-hollywood-notables-sign-727221