In an Orwellian era, celebrities support human rights by attacking Israel

Stars of the silver screen line up to condemn Israel in the name of helping Palestinians, while turning a blind eye to some of the worst human rights abuses in the world.

By: Daniel Krygier, Exclusive to World Israel News

Twenty five celebrities and public figures recently expressed their “horror” by signing a protest letter against President Donald Trump’s decision to cut funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) agency. The letter was conceived by the London-based Hoping Foundation advocacy group and states: “The real target of this lethal attack is the Palestinian people themselves.”

The Trump administration suspended a $65 million payment to UNRWA after Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas attacked the US for recognizing Israel’s capital, Jerusalem, and his unwillingness to make peace with the Jewish state.

The signatories included celebrities like Hugh Grant, Gillian Anderson, Viggo Mortensen, Emma Thompson and Tilda Swinton. Had these public figures bothered to do some rudimentary research on UNRWA, they would have quickly discovered that this intrinsically anti-Israel organization is perpetuating the Arab-Israeli conflict by keeping the “refugee” issue frozen in time indefinitely.

We live in an Orwellian time in which celebrities who claim to support human rights actually undermine them by joining Israel’s enemies. These deeply flawed public figures have been elevated to the status of role models to millions of young and impressionable people around the world. In a time when “narratives” and “feelings” are replacing facts, Hollywood stars have assumed the roles of the Oracles of Delphi in the 21st century.

Despite the widespread #MeToo scandals sweeping across Hollywood and the wider entertainment business, uninformed opinions expressed by celebrities often count more than fact-based reality. Hollywood stars who live immoral lives, still consider themselves to be in a position to preach morality regarding Israel, President Trump and anyone else who does not belong to their “liberal” fan base.

The English musician Roger Waters has carved out a second career for himself through systematic demonization and delegitimization of Israel that is well received among the “progressive” left. Mr. Waters has become closely associated with the anti-Semitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement that seeks the destruction of the Jewish state in the name of “human rights”.

Hollywood celebrities rarely express their horror against real apartheid, genocide and serious human rights violations in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia or North Korea. Neither Roger Waters nor any other of his “progressive” celebrity colleagues expressed any support for the Kurdish people who overwhelmingly voted for national freedom and independence from Iraq. The oppressed and persecuted women and minorities throughout the Muslim-dominated Middle East rarely gain any sympathies among public figures in Hollywood who officially claim to stand up for women and vulnerable minorities. The reason is depressingly simple: supporting Israel’s enemies in the name of “human rights” gives you status. Supporting genuinely oppressed people worldwide like the Kurds and the Tibetans does not.