There exists a general cowardice among the rich and famous when it comes to Israeli brutality toward the Palestinians. Animal rights? Fine. The environment? Fine. As long as the cause is low-risk and inexpensive, the glitterati will charge in and take a bold stand. But Jews militarily occupying Arabs—especially Jewish allies of the United States—is deemed too hot to handle. For one, said celeb would be voicing criticism of the “Jewish state.” For another, one would be voicing solidarity with Arabs. For yet another, one would be criticizing a US ally [gasp!]. Can’t have any of that. So they retreat to the safe topics to feel and present themselves as benevolent and charitable. Posing with African children is always welcome—then you can look worldly, too!
In 2021, I wrote an open letter to actress Gal Gadot, who wrote some craven drivel online. Thom Yorke of Radiohead and actress Scarlett Johansson also come to mind. Johansson, it’s hard to say whether her support for the SodaStream product then produced in an Israeli settlement was the product of ignorance or viciousness. Johansson was announced in 2014 as its global brand ambassador. To my knowledge, SodaStream has since relocated and I’m not sure if Johansson is involved with the company anymore. Whether Johansson understood the facts and moral implications at the time—or even does now—is anyone’s guess. My expectations of her are quite low. If I were looking for a sophisticated understanding of Middle Eastern politics or US foreign policy, Scarlett Johansson would not be my first port of call.
As for Thom Yorke of Radiohead, he gets emotional and upset anytime the subject is brought up. Fellow musicians have implored him and his band to not play in Israel, but have met with Yorke’s indignation. Yorke for years has presented himself as politically articulate, but I have seen no evidence of this. While playing a concert in Israel, Yorke gave the middle finger to some people in the crowd voicing support for the Palestinian cause; we can chalk Johansson’s decision making up to ignorance and obliviousness. Yorke’s attitude is particularly appalling and spineless.
Musicians Annie Lennox and Roger Waters, producer Brian Eno, actors Viggo Mortensen, Danny Glover, Mark Ruffalo, and Emma Watson, street artist Banksy, and activist Bianca Jagger have all shown courage in the past by voicing support for the Palestinians. They all get gold stars.
And now we can add model Bella Hadid to the list. She even posted words of Palestinian pride on that abyss of narcissism and vapidity, Instagram. On Instagram, she ruffled the feathers of Israel’s rightwing national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, a particularly loathsome individual, by posting comments critical of Israeli policies. According to the report on Al Jazeera:
She also posted a video from leading Israeli rights group B’Tselem showing Israeli soldiers in Hebron telling a resident that Palestinians are not permitted to walk on a certain street because it is reserved for Jews. “Does this remind anyone of anything?” she wrote.
Well done, Bella Hadid. Thank you for lengthening our honor roll by one. See, Thom, being a decent human being isn’t hard. That goes for your equally pathetic lead guitarist, Johnny Greenwood, as well.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/8/25/ben-gvir-lashes-out-at-supermodel-bella-hadid-over-palestinian-rights
