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‘Have You No Shame?’: Pro-Israel Hollywood Advocacy Group Urges Celebs to Stop Wearing Ceasefire Pins Ahead of Oscars
Nicola Coughlan at Time 100 Next on October 09, 2024 at Chelsea Piers in New York City. Photo: IMAGO/MediaPunch via Reuters Connect
A pro-Israel advocacy organization comprised of influential Hollywood figures has challenged members of the entertainment and media industry to stop wearing red pins from Artists4Ceasefire that show support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including at the 96th Academy Awards on Sunday.
A collective known as The Brigade published an open letter on Monday night that addressed Artists4Ceasefire and supporters of its enamel pins, which depict a red palm of a hand with a heart in its center.
The red palm symbolizes Palestinian solidarity, but it also became the symbol of the notorious lynching of two Israeli military reservists, Vadim Nurzhitz and Yosef Avrahami, in the West Bank city of Ramallah in October 2000. One of their killers, Aziz Salha, appeared at the window of the police station delightedly displaying his blood-stained palms to the appreciative mob gathered outside following the murder of the two Israelis.
The red palm symbol has since been used by anti-Israel protesters to criticize Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip targeting Hamas terrorists who orchestrated a massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Celebrities who have sported the Artists4Ceasefire pins at previous press events and award ceremonies, including last year’s Oscars, include Mark Ruffalo, Nicola Coughlan, Ramy Youssef, Ava DuVernay, Billie Eilish, and her brother Finneas O’Connell.
In their open letter on Monday night, The Brigade — comprised of talent, publicists, producers, writers, marketers, agents, analysts, lawyers, and artists — noted the similarly between the red palm symbol used by Artists4Ceasefire and the 2000 lynching.
“In 2000, Palestinian terrorists in Ramallah lynched two innocent Israelis, ripped them apart limb by limb, and held up their blood-soaked hands to a cheering mob. That infamous image is now your ‘ceasefire’ badge. Is this ignorance? Or is this deliberate, calculated malice?” wrote The Brigade. The group described the red hand pin as “no symbol of peace” but instead “the emblem of Jewish bloodshed.”
The group blasted Artists4Ceasefire for asking celebrities to wear the pin but more specifically the timing of its campaign. The anti-Israel group urged celebrities to showcase their pin on Feb. 20, the same day Hamas returned the murdered bodies of Ariel Bibas, 4, and Kfir Bibas, 10 months, to Israel. The young brothers were brutally murdered by Hamas in November 2023 during their captivity and their bodies were held captive for more than 500 days.
“On Feb. 20, the same day the world learned 10-month-old Kfir Bibas and his 4-year-old brother Ariel were strangled to death by their terrorist captors in Gaza, you doubled down-urging celebrities to proudly wear your bloodstained red hand pin. Have you no shame?” the statement asked.
The Brigade then directly addressed members of the Hollywood industry who plan on wearing the pin in the future, including at the Oscars on Sunday. “Would you proudly wear the emblem of a lynching?” The Brigade asked them. “Would you parade the symbol of people who strangled babies with their bare hands? Because that is what the red hand represents. To those who wore it without knowing – now you know. To those who knew it and wore it anyway — we see you and we will not be silent.”
The open letter also condemned Hamas’s “grotesque, sadistic ceasefire tactics,” and how the US-designated terrorist organization “executed Israeli captives AFTER a ceasefire was reached.” The letter also talked about hostages returning to Israel “on the brink of death, frail, bruised, and starved,” and how Hamas “traded mutilated corpses while laughing in the faces of grieving families.”
Artists4Ceasefire explained the symbolize of its pin in a statement on its website: “The red background [is] to symbolize the urgency of the call to save lives. The orange hand conveys the beautiful community of people from all backgrounds that have come together in support of centering our shared humanity. The heart being cradled in the center of the hand is an invitation for us to lead with our hearts, always, to lead with love.”
Read the full letter from The Brigade below:
To the Red Hand Supporters,
We turned the other cheek when you pinned a symbol of Jewish murder to your awards lapels.
We took the high road when you cried for a ceasefire that already existed before Hamas shattered it on October 7th.
But today, we will not be silent.
That pin is no symbol of peace. It is the emblem of Jewish bloodshed.
In 2000, Palestinian terrorists in Ramallah lynched two innocent Israelis, ripped them apart limb by limb, and held up their blood-soaked hands to a cheering mob. That infamous image is now your “ceasefire” badge.
And on the very day it was discovered that the Bibas babies—innocent Jewish children—were strangled to death by the terrorist’s bare hands, you asked Hollywood to wear it with pride.
Is this ignorance?
Or is this deliberate, calculated malice?
It’s not peace.
You Claim to See Humanity on Both Sides. Yet You…
Ignore the facts surrounding the historic barbaric October 7 terror attack on Israel
Push your anti-Israel narrative even after Israel agreed to ceasefires with Hamas AND Hezbollah.
Refuse to condemn Hamas’ grotesque, sadistic ceasefire tactics.
Did you speak up when Hamas:
– Returned hostages on the brink of death, frail, bruised, and starved?
– Executed Israeli captives AFTER a ceasefire was reached?
– Traded mutilated corpses while laughing in the faces of grieving families?
*Actors, Actresses, Filmmakers and people of our Hollywood Community, Read This Before You Wear That Pin Again* Would you proudly wear the emblem of a lynching?
Would you parade the symbol of people who strangled babies with their bare hands?
Because that is what the red hand represents.
To those who wore it without knowing—now you know.
To those who knew and wore it anyway—we see you and we will not be silent.
Members of the Brigade
The post ‘Have You No Shame?’: Pro-Israel Hollywood Advocacy Group Urges Celebs to Stop Wearing Ceasefire Pins Ahead of Oscars first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
The post Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Melbourne Police Investigate Wave of Antisemitic Attacks, Including Synagogue Arson
Illustrative. Vandals defaced the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in Australia on June 22, 2025. Photo: Screenshot
i24 News – A wave of antisemitic incidents across Melbourne is under urgent investigation by Victoria Police, after a synagogue was set alight, a Jewish-owned restaurant targeted by protesters, and a third attack saw multiple cars torched at a business in the city’s northeast.
The third incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. Saturday at a business on Para Road in Greensborough. Offenders set fire to three vehicles and sprayed graffiti on both the cars and a nearby building wall. One car was destroyed, and two others sustained moderate damage.
“There were references of antisemitism in the graffiti,” Dunstan confirmed, adding that the business had previously been linked to pro-Palestinian activism.
While police say no direct link between the three incidents has been established yet, they are not ruling out the possibility of coordination.
The attacks began Friday night, when a man was seen pouring a flammable liquid on the entrance of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and setting it alight around 8 p.m., while around 20 people were inside for Shabbat services. Worshipers quickly evacuated through the back, and the fire was contained to the front of the building. No injuries were reported.
Police have released an image of a suspect believed to be in his 30s, of Caucasian appearance, with a beard and long hair.
Just hours after the synagogue arson, a protest of around 70 people moved through Swanston Street before a smaller group gathered outside Miznon, a popular Jewish-owned restaurant in the CBD, chanting offensive slogans. One man was arrested and later released on summons for hindering police.
In response to the series of attacks, federal agencies including the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) have joined the investigation.
“This is disgraceful behavior by a pack of cowards,” said Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. “Any attack on a place of worship is an act of hate. Any attack on a Jewish place of worship is an act of antisemitism. There should be no hesitation in calling this what it is.”
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Trump Says Iran Has Not Agreed to Inspections, Give Up Enrichment
US President Donald Trump speaks at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not pictured), at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, June 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium.
He told reporters aboard Air Force One that he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump said he would discuss Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits the White House on Monday.
“I would say it’s set back permanently,” Trump said as he traveled to New Jersey after an Independence Day celebration at the White House. “I would think they’d have to start at a different location. And if they did start, it would be a problem.”
Trump said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff deepens over their return to the country’s nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel.
The U.S. and Israel say Iran was enriching uranium to build nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in a 12-day war with the Islamic Republic three weeks ago. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran’s facilities since then, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said that is his top priority.
Iran’s parliament has passed a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of its nuclear facilities can be guaranteed. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency’s inspectors will be able to return to Iran.
Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31 that led to a resolution by the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.
The US and Israeli military strikes either destroyed or badly damaged Iran’s three uranium enrichment sites. But it was less clear what has happened to much of Iran’s nine tons of enriched uranium, especially the more than 400 kg (880 pounds) enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade.
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