Celebrities Sign Letter of Support for Israel

Hollywood is often referred to as a fantasy factory and judging by what many stars say in public; I’d say it was an accurate description. But just recently there was a breath of realism coming out of L.A. that bears repeating.

Two hundred Hollywood stars and celebrities signed an open letter of support for Israel and at the same time criticized other members of the glitterati that had previously expressed support for the terrorist organization Hamas.

The controversy (at least the printed version) began when Academy Award winner Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz signed a letter condemning Israel for “genocide” in Gaza. Specifically the confused couple wrote, "In the horror happening right now in Gaza there is no place for distance or neutrality . . . It's hard to understand and impossible to justify. And it's disgraceful that Western countries are permitting such genocide."

This demonstrates a complete inability to understand cause and effect. It’s like blaming the trees for a forest fire. Hamas’ kidnapping, murders, and indiscriminate rocket fire is what caused the current conflict, not Israel’s failure to observe pre-1967 “borders.”

(Even these “facts” are incorrect. The 1967 boundaries are not borders; the map markings are armistice lines subject to negotiation. The Arabs accepted these lines as temporary, until they could renew their offensive. What the Arabs didn’t plan on was losing the next and all subsequent wars.)

This new letter clearly points out Bardem's and Cruz’s moral confusion: “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.

"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.”

The letter also makes what should be an obvious point, even to leftists like Bardem. The only place in the Middle East where his movies can be seen are in a democracy like Israel — “a very free and progressive society.” Totalitarian enclaves like Gaza and the Palestinian Authority censor Hollywood’s products.

It’s good to know that at least in international affairs Jon Voight isn’t the only celebrity who is not afraid to take a stand for what might be termed common sense. With any luck, maybe in the future Hollywood will stand up for realism domestically.