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A number of outspoken celebrities have boarded the pro-Palestinian bandwagon recently to wage a “cultural intifada” against Israel, principally from among the music world, with such notables as the band Coldplay and singers Annie Lennox and Elvis Costello refusing to perform there.
When asked about the usefulness of support from such celebrities, Palestinian activist Omar Barghouti, one of the founders of the worldwide boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement designed to isolate and delegitimize Israel, said:
When celebrities of this caliber cancel events in Israel over its human rights record they help to reveal Israel’s true face as a state practicing occupation, settler-colonialism and apartheid and contribute to challenging Israel’s impunity and infringement of international law.
It’s refreshing when a celeb bucks that trend. Academy Award-winning actor Jon Voight is one of that rare, but growing breed, Hollywood conservatives, and is unafraid to swim against the tide of his colleagues and publicly stand with Israel. Arguably, President Obama’s most outspoken celebrity critic, Voight joined media giant Glenn Beck in Jerusalem this week for Beck’s “Restoring Courage” rally, and made his loyalties clear: “I came to stand alongside Israel and fight the anti-Semitism and lies in the world today.”
He isn’t entirely alone – here’s a list-in-progress of celebrities, including such A-listers as actors Natalie Portman and Harrison Ford, who have spoken out in support of Israel and/or contributed to pro-Israel causes in the past. Ex-Kiss band member Gene Simmons, for example, has blasted his music industry cohorts for condemning the tiny democracy, and musicians like Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, and Rihanna resisted pressure to boycott Israel and performed there recently. But the supporters number in the minority.
In addition to Voight, another celebrity casually voiced her support for Israel this week and caught hell for it from many of her fans. Michelle Malkin reports that pop singer Katy Perry received a request Monday from one of her followers on the social media network Twitter. A young Israeli sent her a “tweet” to “please pray with us” Israelis in the wake of the recent Gazan assault near the Red Sea resort of Eilat that left eight Israelis dead and more than thirty wounded. “I am!” Perry gushed. “My prayers are for you guys tonight, SHALOM!!!”
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