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Do Uninformed Hollywood Celebrities Realize They Are Hurting Chances of a Gaza ‘Ceasefire’?
Recently, a letter was addressed to the Hollywood actor’s union, SAG-AFTRA, signed by hundreds of Hollywood actors (along with, for some reason, many who are not actors), demanding that the union’s leadership call for “a permanent ceasefire” in the war in Gaza.
The letter also demanded that SAG-AFTRA, “condemn our industry’s McCarthyist repression of members who acknowledge Palestinian suffering.”
The letter itself is comprised largely of slanderous lies about Israel’s conduct of the war, just as one would expect from the likes of the usual suspects who signed it — Mark Ruffalo, Ramy Youssef, Susan Sarandon, Cynthia Nixon.
I could go on at length to dispute their claims, pointing out that fighting a war that the enemy started and in which many civilians tragically die — as they do in *all* major wars — is not what the word “genocide” means.
I could point out that Israel is not “waging a war of collective punishment on the civilian population of Gaza,” but rather going to extraordinary lengths to avoid civilian casualties to an extent unprecedented in modern, urban warfare.
A simple thought experiment underscores the absurdity of the above two claims: imagine if Israel actually did want to commit genocide or wage a war against the civilian population. What would that look like? Obviously, hundreds of thousands if not millions would be dead. Not tens of thousands.
And let me take this moment to say that, of course, it is terrible that there are many innocent civilians among the thousands of dead. I, and every Jew and supporter of Israel I know, feel horrible for the innocent victims of this war — a war that Hamas started and that would end instantly the moment Hamas surrenders.
I could point out that under international law, it is legal to target “safe zones, schools, and hospitals” when the enemy uses them as bases for their operations — just as Hamas is doing.
I could point out the brazen audacity of calling for the “release of all hostages — both Palestinian and Israeli” as though terrorists and armed enemy combatants taken prisoner are “hostages,” and in any way comparable to women and children dragged from their beds.
I could point out the inanity of the oxymoron “permanent ceasefire,” when a “ceasefire” by definition is temporary, just like the ceasefire that was in place on October 7, 2023, before Hamas violated it by invading Israel — and just like every other ceasefire that has been agreed to and violated by Hamas over the past decades.
What might be “permanent” is a peace treaty, such as those negotiated between Israel and many of its other neighbors. But Hamas has made it clear they will never agree to such a peace, and thus any cessation of hostilities could only be “permanent” if Hamas is completely defeated, which is, of course, Israel’s goal.
I could make all of these points, and many others, in response to the false, naïve, and incendiary anti-Israel statements made in the letter to SAG-AFTRA — but similar arguments have been put forth many times in many formats and forums, and there is no need to rehash them at greater length here.
Instead I want to ask this question: why do these actors think that they can proffer a laundry list of slanderous claims against Israel, which are, ultimately, antisemitic in fact if not in intent, without deserving to face any consequences?
I am not aware of any actors facing “McCarthyist repression” just for “acknowledging Palestinian suffering,” as the letter claims.
What I am aware of are instances in which some of those who have signed the letter — such as Susan Sarandon and Melissa Barrera — lost work over blatantly antisemitic statements.
Should they be protected from those consequences? Would an actor who made racist statements targeting any minority group (aside from Jews) and lost work as a result (see: Roseanne Barr) have the temerity to “condemn” the “McCarthyist repression?”
Now, I realize that many of those who signed the letter are probably too stupid to understand the implications of what they have endorsed. If this sounds overly harsh, I’m sorry, but I don’t know how else to say it.
I have little doubt that many of the signatories are well meaning, caring people, who see suffering and think they are doing the right and noble thing in calling for it to end. But does that absolve them from all responsibility in signing something they don’t understand?
And what of those who do understand? Who are knowingly giving credence to the lies and anti-Israel propaganda that not only damages Israel in the eyes of the public but also fuels anti-Jewish hatred in the US? What of their responsibility?
It’s bad enough that the letter is an unbalanced, anti-Israel diatribe that doesn’t once lay any blame for anything at the feet of Hamas — and, shockingly, doesn’t even once use the word “Hamas” in its discussion of a conflict it portrays as being fought between Israel and Gazan civilians.
What’s worse is that, by entirely taking the unnamed Hamas’ side, the letter makes its stated goal of ending the conflict less likely to occur.
Hamas can find great encouragement in the fact that its objective of turning Israel into a pariah is working — it’s working on college campuses, on the streets of European cities, among segments of the Democratic Party, and among these Hollywood actors.
Why would Hamas agree to a ceasefire when not doing so seems to be paying such dividends?
Do the signers of the letter know that their actions make a ceasefire *less* likely? Are they too unaware of the geopolitical situation or the strategies and motives of Hamas to understand? Or are they too blinded by their antipathy toward Israel and Jews to care?
Whether for better or worse, celebrities have a great deal of power in our society. But with great power comes great responsibility. Or does it?
Michael Kaplan is a TV writer-producer, playwright, and children’s book author. For his TV work, he has been nominated for four Emmy Awards, winning one.
The post Do Uninformed Hollywood Celebrities Realize They Are Hurting Chances of a Gaza ‘Ceasefire’? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Anti-Israel Rioters Attack Israeli Cruise Ship, Prevent Tourists From Disembarking in Greece
Greek riot police clash with pro-Palestinian protesters near the port of Rhodes during a demonstration targeting an Israeli cruise ship. Photo: Screenshot
Anti-Israel rioters on the Greek island of Crete have attacked an Israeli cruise ship, preventing tourists from disembarking in the latest incident targeting Israeli visitors in Greece.
The MS Crown Iris — operated by Israeli cruise line Mano Maritime — was targeted once again by pro-Palestinian activists this week.
On Thursday, Israeli tourists were physically assaulted and temporarily blocked from disembarking in Crete by about 25 protesters gathered at the island’s main port to demonstrate against the war in Gaza.
The rioters, waving Palestinian flags and holding banners falsely accusing Israel of genocide, clashed violently with police who were trying to secure a safe passage for the Israeli tourists.
As Israeli tourists tried to disembark, they were attacked by the demonstrators, who threw rocks and metal bars, forcing many to retreat back onto the ship.
After those who first tried to leave the ship were physically assaulted, police advised everyone to return onboard, as protesters appeared to be blocking all exits from the port.
The port then closed its gates, and all passengers returned to the ship while authorities worked to regain control of the situation.
Greek riot police intervened, using pepper spray to disperse the crowd and detaining four protesters, but some passengers were still injured during the incident.
This latest attack marks the third incident in a month in which anti-Israel protesters have targeted Israeli tourists and attempted to boycott the Mano Maritime cruise line.
Greece’s Minister of Citizen Protection, Michalis Chrysochoidis, condemned these targeted attacks, vowing that anyone who tries to prevent a foreign national from legally entering the country will “face prosecution, arrest, and then criminal proceedings under the anti-racism law.”
Las month, approximately 1,600 Israeli passengers expecting a peaceful stop on their cruise were unable to disembark from a ship docked on the island of Syros after a pro-Palestinian protest erupted at the port, raising safety concerns.
Around 300 demonstrators had gathered at the dock to protest against the war in Gaza, while Syros Port Authority police guarded the area and intervened to prevent violence until the ship departed.
Amid the large anti-Israel protest, the cruise company chose to divert the ship to Limassol, Cyprus.
In videos circulating on social media, protesters were seen waving Palestinian flags and holding banners with slogans such as “Stop the Genocide” and “No AC [Air Conditioning] in Hell,” while chanting antisemitic slogans.
In a similar incident, pro-Palestinian protesters clashed with Greek riot police on the island of Rhodes as they attempted to block a Mano Maritime cruise ship from docking at the island’s main port.
More than 600 passengers were set to disembark when tensions escalated and brief clashes broke out as authorities worked to control the protest.
According to videos circulating on social media, riot police can be seen confronting a group of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered near the dock, who shouted slogans such as “Freedom for Palestine.”
Since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents have surged to alarming levels across Europe.
These incidents appear to be the latest in an increasing wave of anti-Jewish hate crimes that Greece and other countries have experienced in recent months.
On Friday, a group of Israeli tourists from London were thrown out of a Greek taverna and called “baby killers” after a dispute with the pro-Palestinian restaurant owner.
Last month in Athens, a group of pro-Palestinian activists vandalized an Israeli restaurant, shouting antisemitic slurs and spray-painting graffiti with slogans such as “No Zionist is safe here.”
The attackers also posted a sign on one of the restaurant’s windows that read, “All IDF soldiers are war criminals — we don’t want you here,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces.
In June, an Israeli tourist was attacked by a group of anti-Israel activists after they overheard him using Google Maps in Hebrew while navigating through Athens.
When the attackers realized the victim was speaking Hebrew, they began physically assaulting him while shouting antisemitic slurs.
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‘Nothing Less’: Trump Presses for $500 Million Settlement With Harvard University
US President Donald Trump gestures during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, Aug. 26, 2025. Photo: Jonathan Ernst via Reuters Connect
US President Donald Trump has said that Harvard University must pay a minimum $500 million penalty as part of a settlement to restore $3 billion in federal contracts and research grants his administration impounded from the school’s coffers earlier this year.
Trump insisted on “nothing less” in remarks to Education Secretary Linda McMahon during a cabinet meeting held on Tuesday. “They’ve been very bad. Don’t negotiate,” he added.
The comments came just two and a half months after McMahon, representing the Trump administration, hinted at the possibility of reaching a deal with Harvard and unfreezing the federal funds. Speaking to Bloomberg, the education secretary said that Harvard was “making progress” and “already put in place some of the things that we have talked about in our negotiations with Columbia” University, which included some wish-list reforms for which conservatives have spent decades advocating.
At the time, Harvard had filed suit against the administration, seeking a summary judgement which ruled that the funds confiscation was arbitrary and skipped key steps the government must take before taking such an action. The New York Times reported that Harvard expressed interest in paying $500 million to settle the matter, and university officials had begun dismantling initiatives and making other changes to reverse an impression that the institution is doctrinally far left and anti-Zionist.
In July, it announced new partnerships with Israeli academic institutions and shuttered its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) offices, transferring their staff to other sections of the university. These moves came after it “paused” a partnership in March with a higher education institution located in the West Bank. Some reports, according to the Harvard Crimson, even suggested that Harvard is willing to found a “new conservative research institute.”
However, Harvard university’s president, Alan Garber, deluged by inquiries from Harvard faculty outraged at the prospect of settling with the Trump administration, later proclaimed that the Times had reported fake news and that he intended to continue on fighting the government in court.
“In a conversation with one faculty member, [he] said that the suggestion that Harvard was open to paying $500 million is ‘false’ and claimed that the figure was apparently leaked to the press by White House officials,” the Harvard Crimson reported, noting that the Times had defended the veracity of its report. “In any discussions, Garber reportedly said, the university is treating academic freedom as nonnegotiable.”
The conflicting headlines highlighted the competing objectives Garber is being forced to choose between — rescuing Harvard from a perilous fiscal situation or placating its left-leaning faculty, 94 percent of whom donated to Democratic candidates in 2024, as reported by the Crimson.
In July, a Crimson poll of over 1,400 Harvard faculty revealed that 71 percent of arts and sciences faculty oppose negotiating a settlement with the administration and 64 percent “strongly disagree” with shuttering DEI programs. Additionally, 73 percent oppose rejecting foreign applicants who hold anti-American beliefs which are “hostile to the American values and institutions inscribed in the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence,” and 70 percent strongly disagree with revoking institutional recognition from pro-Hamas groups such as the Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSC).
“More than 98 percent of faculty who responded to the survey supported the university’s decision to sue the White House,” The Crimson reported. “The same percentage backed Harvard’s public rejection of the sweeping conditions that the administration set for maintaining the funds — terms that included external audits of Harvard’s hiring practices and the disciplining of student protesters.”
At the same time, Harvard will see annual budget shortfalls of $1 billion if the if the Trump confiscations remain in effect, according to the Wall Street Journal, a loss the university is offsetting by enacting “contingency preparations” predicated on amassing $1 billion in debt with help from Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. Analysts have told The Algemeiner that Harvard’s immense wealth, powered by a $53 billion endowment valued higher than the gross domestic product of countries such the Kingdom of Bahrain and Bolivia, can sustain its borrowing in the short term but not in perpetuity.
“If Harvard is willing to mortgage its real estate or use it as collateral, it can borrow money for a very long time,” National Association of Scholars president Peter Wood told The Algemeiner in April. “But it could destroy itself that way.”
On Friday, Asaf Romirowsky, a Middle East expert and president of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME), said Harvard should make a deal, arguing that would be in the interest of both the school and the country.
“Universities have begun to rapidly adapt to the new realities. One change being made by universities is increased hiring of Title VI coordinators to handle civil rights complaints,” he said. “Beyond the cosmetic, the US desperately needs to reevaluate what a university is and what it is for. Five decades of universities striving for relevance has had the effect of politicizing the humanities and social sciences.”
He continued, “As faculties have become politically monolithic, students interested in exploring traditions and themselves have been alienated, causing a feedback loop of shrinking disciplines and intensifying politics.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, and Others Join Gaza Film as Executive Producers Before Venice Premiere
Brad Pitt attends the “F1: The Movie” European premiere in London, Britain, June 23, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska
Brad Pitt, Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, and other high-profile figures in the Hollywood film industry have joined the Gaza-based drama “The Voice of Hind Rajab” as executive producers ahead of its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, Deadline reported.
“The Zone of Interest” director Jonathan Glazer is also joining the film as an executive producer as well as “Roma” director Alfonso Cuaron. Meanwhile, Dede Garner and Jeremy Kleiner from Pitt’s production company Plan B. Britain’s Film4 and the Saudi Arabian state-owned MBC Studio are also supporting the film, according to Deadline.
Written and directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, “The Voice of Hind Rajab” focuses on the real-life death of six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was trapped in a car that had allegedly come under fire by Israeli military forces in the Gaza Strip in January 2024 and later found dead. Israel claimed its military troops were not in the area at the time. The movie is based on real audio recordings of Rajab’s calls to Red Cresent volunteers, who tried to keep her on the line and get an ambulance to help her. Her death sparked global outrage including at Columbia University, where anti-Israel students broke into the academic building Hamilton Hall and symbolically renamed it as Hind’s Hall in April 2024.
“The Voice of Hind Rajab” will premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sept. 3 before making its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
“I cannot accept a world where a child calls for help and no one comes,” Ben Hania said in a released statement. “That pain, that failure, belongs to all of us. This story is not just about Gaza. It speaks to a universal grief. And I believe that fiction (especially when it draws from verified, painful, real events) is cinema’s most powerful tool. More powerful than the noise of breaking news or the forgetfulness of scrolling. Cinema can preserve a memory … May Hind Rajab’s voice be heard.”
Ben Hania’s film “Four Daughters” was nominated for an Oscar last year and her previous project, “The Man Who Sold His Skin,” was selected as the Tunisian entry for best international feature film at the Academy Awards in 2021.
The 82nd Venice Film Festival opened on Wednesday, almost six weeks to the second anniversary of the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7 2023, that resulted in the murder of 1,200 people while 251 were taken as hostages back to Gaza. The festival ends Sept. 6.
Hundreds of Italian and international artists signed an open letter calling on the Venice Film Festival to condemn what they claim is Israel’s genocide and ethnic cleansing in Gaza. Israel has adamantly denied the charge, noting it’s targeting a terrorist group in Gaza that tries to embed itself among the civilian population to create more casualties.