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Jewish Actor Mandy Patinkin Condemns Netanyahu, Israel’s ‘Unconscionable’ Military Actions in Gaza
Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody attend the RFK Ripple of Hope Award Gala at the NY Hilton Hotel in New York, NY on Dec. 6, 2023. Photo: Stephen Smith/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Jewish-American actor Mandy Patinkin castigated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip during a recent interview, likening them to his “Princess Bride” character’s so-called “revenge business.”
Patinkin, 72, made the comments during an episode of The New York Times podcast “The Interview” that was published on July 12. He was a guest on the show — hosted by David Marchese – alongside his wife, playwright and actor Kathryn Grody, and their son, Gideon Grody-Patinkin.
Patinkin starred in the 1987 film “Princess Bride” as Spanish swordsman Inigo Montoya, whose mission throughout the film was to avenge the murder of his father. Montoya repeatedly said to his enemies: “My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” Patinkin compared Montoya’s vengefulness to Israel’s actions during the Israel-Hamas war. During his appearance on “The Interview,” Patinkin quoted another of his character’s lines: “I have been in the revenge business so long. Now that it’s over, I do not know what to do with the rest of my life.”
Patinkin also called on Jews all over the world to “consider what this man, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his right-wing government is doing to the Jewish people all over the world.”
“They are endangering not only the State of Israel, which I care deeply about and want to exist, but they are endangering the Jewish population all over the world,” he claimed. Patinkin then called Netanyahu “the most dangerous thing, not just since Oct. 7.”
“To watch what is happening, for the Jewish people, to allow this to happen to children and civilians of all ages in Gaza, for whatever reason, is unconscionable and unthinkable,” he added. “And I ask you Jews, everywhere, all over the world, to spend some time alone and think, is this acceptable and sustainable? How could it be done to you and your ancestors and you turn around and you do it to someone else?”
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, Patinkin has supported calls for a ceasefire to end the conflict that started after the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
His strong criticism of Israel has dated back years. In 2021, the actor posted a thread on X/Twitter calling for “liberation in particular for the Palestinian people, who have endured over 50 years of a brutal and dehumanizing occupation by the State of Israel.”
Grody said during the podcast interview that she hates “the way some people are using antisemitism as a claim for anybody that is critical about a certain policy.”
“As far as I am concerned, compassion for every person in Gaza is very Jewish,” said the actress.
“And the fact that I abhor the policies of [Netanyahu] does not mean that I’m a self-hating Jew or I’m antisemitic,” she added. “I feel the behavior, the politics of what he’s doing, is the worst thing for Jewish people. It’s like lighting a candle for anybody that has any antisemitic feelings.” She then got emotional when she said, “I really feel deeply troubled and horrified by what is happening in my name.”
Grody-Patinkin added that he believes Israel is “endangering” Jews around the world “by endangering those in Gaza.”
The family’s comments were criticized by many pro-Israel supporters on social media, who were upset at them for only finding fault with Israel and its Jewish supporters even though the war in Gaza was started by the Hamas terrorist organization and its massacre of Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023.
“Antisemitism is not Netanyahu’s fault,” said activist, author, and social media influencer Hen Mazzig in a post on X. “We cannot blame Jews for the hate and violence we face. It’s the same for any other group of people. You don’t blame the victim, you blame the perpetrator.” He also criticized Patinkin’s comments in an op-ed for The Jewish Chronicle, in which he wrote in part that the actor’s “logic is deeply flawed and dangerous.”
Barry Tigay, a retired psychologist, criticized Patinkin for spreading a “blood libel.”
“Shame on Mandy Patinkin for spreading a blood libel and Holocaust inversion against the Jews, Israel, and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Israel is fighting a just war by just means,” he wrote in a post on X.
The post Jewish Actor Mandy Patinkin Condemns Netanyahu, Israel’s ‘Unconscionable’ Military Actions in Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.