America Ferrera poses for photographers as she arrives at the Glamour Woman of the Year awards ceremony in London on Tuesday. The actress is one of dozens of A-list entertainers who have signed a letter to President Biden calling for a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas.
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America Ferrera poses for photographers as she arrives at the Glamour Woman of the Year awards ceremony in London on Tuesday. The actress is one of dozens of A-list entertainers who have signed a letter to President Biden calling for a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas.
Scott Garfitt/InVision/AP
As the conflict between Israel and Hamas enters its third week, dozens of top entertainment industry stars have signed a letter urging President Biden to call for immediate de-escalation and a ceasefire.
The letter, created by a group of Hollywood insiders calling themselves “Artists4Ceasefire,” has so far been signed by celebrities such as Cate Blanchett, America Ferrera, Bassem Yousef, Jon Stewart, Dua Lipa, Hasan Minhaj, Oscar Isaac and Michael Stipe.
“We call on your administration and all world leaders to respect all life in the Holy Land, call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay, stop the bombing of Gaza, and ensure the safe release of the hostages,” the letter said. It added that “Gaza's two million residents, half of whom are children and more than two-thirds are refugees or their descendants forced to flee their homes, must be able to receive humanitarian assistance.”
Some signatories, like Ferrera, have also spoken out about the conflict in other forums. Speaking at Glamour magazine's Global Honours Women of the Year Awards a few days ago, Ferrera said: Barbie and How to Train Your Dragon The actor called for an end to the conflict and for women and children to “live in peace.”
“None of our sisters are safe,” Ferrera said. “Like you, I am heartbroken by the pressures our sisters around the world endure every day. And tonight, as we celebrate here, our sisters and their families in Gaza and Israel live in fear. The brutality of terror and war is being played out before our eyes. Whole families have been killed and continue to be killed.”
The Artists4Ceasefire letter is not the only example of celebrity political advocacy to have emerged in the past few weeks.
Hundreds of celebrities, including actors Gal Gadot, Michael Douglas, and Jerry Seinfeld, signed an open letter in support of Israel that was released on October 12. The effort was organized by Creative Community for Peace, which describes itself as a “non-profit entertainment industry association” whose mission is to “promote the arts as a bridge to peace, raise awareness about growing anti-Semitism within the entertainment industry, and mobilize support for the cultural boycott of Israel.”
The Biden administration has so far not issued a public statement in response to the letter or other letters from prominent figures expressing their views on the conflict. In a recent statement, Biden reiterated “America's unwavering support for Israel” and supported Israel's retaliation for the October 7 Hamas attack. The White House has not specifically called for a ceasefire, but has called for civilian casualties to be minimized. Also on October 18, the United States announced $100 million in humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
This is not the first time that celebrities have spoken out about the deteriorating relations between Israel and Palestine.
For example, Gadot posted comments on her Instagram account after violence in the region escalated in May 2021. “This is a vicious cycle that has been going on for far too long,” Gadot wrote. “Israel deserves to live in a free and safe country, and our neighbors deserve the same.” Meanwhile, at the time, Susan Sarandon voiced support for the Palestinians. In a Twitter post, the actress and activist said: The statement was forwarded He described Israel's actions as “settler colonialism, military occupation, land theft and ethnic cleansing.”
Public opinion is divided on whether celebrities should express political views: A Morning Consult poll found that 28% of adults want celebrities to speak out on political issues, while 29% said celebrities should stay out of politics.
The Israel-Gaza war, which began with a devastating attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, has so far killed more than 1,400 Israelis and 4,000 Palestinians.
The full Artists4Ceasefire letter and current list of signatories can be found below.
Mr. President Biden
We are united as artists and activists, but above all as human beings who bear witness to the devastating loss of life and widespread horror in Israel and Palestine.
We urge you, as President of the United States, to call for immediate de-escalation and a ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before more lives are lost. More than 5,000 people have been killed in the past week and a half. Anyone with a conscience knows these numbers are devastating. We believe that all life is sacred, regardless of faith or ethnicity, and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.
We call on your Administration and all world leaders to respect all life in the Holy Land, call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay, stop the bombing of Gaza, and ensure the safe release of hostages, including those held in Gaza's 2 million inhabitants, half of whom are children and more than two-thirds are refugees or their descendants forced to flee their homes, so that humanitarian assistance can reach them.
We believe the United States can play a critical diplomatic role in ending the suffering, and we join the voices of the U.S. Congress, UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and many others in saying that saving lives is a moral imperative. To echo UNICEF's words, “compassion – and international law – must prevail.”
At the time of writing, over 6,000 bombs have been dropped in Gaza in the past 12 days, killing a child every 15 minutes.
“Children and families in Gaza have virtually no access to food, water, electricity, medicines or safe hospitals after days of air strikes and the cutting off of all supply routes. Gaza's only power plant ran out of fuel on Wednesday afternoon, cutting off electricity, running water and wastewater treatment. Most residents can no longer access drinking water from service providers or water through pipelines for domestic use. The humanitarian situation has reached a deadly low, but all reports point to further attacks. Compassion and international law must prevail.” – UNICEF Spokesperson James Elder
Beyond our pain and grief for these people and their loved ones around the world, we are driven by an unwavering will to stand up for our common humanity — for freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all — and a deep desire to stop further bloodshed.
“We refuse to tell future generations a story of standing by in silence and doing nothing,” emergency relief chief Martin Griffiths told UN News. “History is watching.”
Alia Shawkat
Alyssa Milano
Amanda Seales
Amber Tamblyn
America Ferrera
Andrew Garfield
Ani DiFranco
Anoushka Shankar
Aria Mia Roberti
Ayo Edebiri
Bassam Tariq
Bassem Yousef
stomach
Bonnie Wright
Caroline Polachek
Cate Blanchett
Channing Tatum
Cherian Davis
Darius Marder
David Cross
David Oyelowo
Dev Hynes
Diplo
Dominique Fishback
Dominique Thorne
Dua Lipa
Elvira Lind
Eliana
Farah Bsaiso
Fatima Farine Mirza
Florence Pugh
Hasan Minhaj
Hend Sabri
Ilana Glazer
India Moore
James Shamus
Jeremy Strong
Jessica Chastain
Jessie Buckley
Joaquin Phoenix
Jon Stewart
Kehlani
Kristen Stewart
Macklemore
Mahershala Ali
Margaret Cho
Mark Ruffalo
May Calamawi
Michael Malarkey
Michael Moore
Michael Shannon
Michael Stipe
Michelle Wolf
Miguel
Mo Amel
Natalie Merchant
Oscar Isaac
Quinta Branson
Rachel Sennott
Ramy Yousef
Ravena Aurora
Riz Ahmed
Rooney Mara
Rosario Dawson
Rowan Blanchard
Ryan Coogler
Sandra Oh
Sebastian Silva
Shailene Woodley
Shaka King
Simi Hayes
Stephanie Suganami
Susan Sarandon
Taylor Paige
Tommy Genesis
Vic Mensa
Victoria Monet
Wallace Shawn
Wanda Sykes
Yara Shahidi
