The Israel-Gaza conflict is just a small picture of a huge war between Israelis and Palestinians. It’s just a localized part of it, and the Hamas attack on October 7, which saw thousands of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip against Israel and vehicle-transported attacks across the border, is just one of the latest moves in this ongoing fight.
Ever since this erupted, many celebrities seemed to try to get involved, posting their own responses on social media and addressing the war between the two countries. Sure, they may only try to show their support to the victims and condemn the war, which cannot be denied that it is worsening. However, the Israel-Gaza conflict has a complex history, so talking about it on social media without the proper knowledge results in an instant backlash. So, who among the celebrities has addressed this issue, and what do they have to say? Let’s explore how these become problematic.
Some Celebrity Responses to the Israel-Gaza Conflict
Jamie Lee Curtis is one of the A-list celebrities who responded to the Israel-Gaza conflict when it erupted on October 7. The iconic Halloween star has been known for addressing issues about politics and causes close to her heart, which both received mixed opinions online.
On October 9, she posted a picture of Gazan children looking at the missiles in the sky and captioned it with, “Terror from the skies.” However, her post featured an Israeli flag, making it look like the kids in the photo were Israeli. Though the post was later deleted, she still received a huge online backlash.
In the same fashion, when Jamie Lee Curtis' picture of children horrified by bombings turned out to be kids in Gaza, it was deleted.
Only one side gets to be horrified by what is being done to them – the other is always justified pic.twitter.com/gNHfJYdIYx
— Hbomberguy (@Hbomberguy) October 17, 2023
Justin Bieber also joined the bandwagon when he posted a photo of a wrecked city on Instagram with the caption, “Praying for Israel,” not knowing the snap was from the Gaza Strip. Just like Curtis, he removed the post after his followers pointed out the mistake, though , it was too late. He was already criticized for it.
And the problematic celebrity posts didn’t just stop there. Noah Schnapp also made his post on October 11 to address the Israel-Gaza conflict. Though he didn’t use any pictures and committed the same mistakes as Curtis and Bieber, he still trended for asking people not to choose sides yet telling everyone they “either stand with Israel or stand with terrorism.”
Justin bieber still crazy and dumb for his pray for Israel post
— #FreePalestine #FreeCongo (@recIusee) October 15, 2023
Next is Kim Kardashian. Like Schnapp, the reality star shared a lengthy message to support Israel despite the country being the weapon supplier of Azerbaijan, which attacked the Armenians, which she has shown her support for and is her heritage.
The Problem that Comes with Celebrities’ Responses to the Israel-Gaza Conflict
There is a long list of celebrities who have shared their responses to the Israel-Gaza conflict, and just like others, they, too, have received backlash due to the sensitivity of this issue. Sure, it cannot be helped that the thousands of deaths in both countries can easily affect anyone’s emotions, especially the demise of innocent children. But there’s a much-complicated issue that lies behind this war. Anyone who wants to get involved in this conflict should know the history and politics of these countries before they point their fingers to blame anyone and show which side they support. They have to dig deeper than just join the trend and be influenced by their feelings and emotions.
Hence, at these trying times, it may be best to keep their opinions to themselves, especially if they’re going to do it on social media and they have millions of followers. Lacking the proper knowledge about the issue can send a wrong message to many. With the prevalence of misinformation today, especially in a case like this, nobody should make it worse.
Pete Davidson delivered an impactful monologue on SNL, tying the tragic Israel-Gaza conflict to his own personal grief. pic.twitter.com/eb4huX5RXY
— Los Angeles Magazine (@LAmag) October 16, 2023
So, no matter how well-intended the post is to support the victims, it will still be criticized if the poster seems to side with a particular group and blame the other. Take it from Pete Davidson.
His response to the Israel-Gaza conflict is dubbed the “best” for its simplicity. The comedian didn’t address the war, mention the two countries, or even take sides. What he did is based it on his own experience as a victim of war himself when his father died during the 9/11 attack and poured his heart out for both Palestinian and Israeli kids. He didn’t even try to get sympathy but chose to be empathetic to the real victims of this war, the children.