Dear #CeasefireNow / #FreePalestine crowd,
Both rich and broke, famous and unknown, young and old…
Some of you do this knowingly and on purpose, and others of you may genuinely think you are on the right side of history.
But whether you realize it or not, you have partnered with real life Nazis.
I haven’t seen the Oscars for a few years now, but the internet is the internet of course. I heard about the infamous slap last year within hours of it actually happening, and this year was no different. I pretty quickly saw the news of actors and musicians wearing a red pin with a hand drawn on it, claiming that it is a way to draw attention to Gaza and call for a ceasefire.
First off, what is always amazing to me is how anyone can call for a ceasefire without even a thought to the 130+ Israeli and foreign national hostages still in Gaza as we reach the 158th day since they were taken on October 7th. #Artists4Ceasefire and the entire ceasefire crowd in general love to cite sources—incomplete at best, outright lies at worst—straight from Hamas about how many Gazan children have been killed by Israeli bombs, but I have yet to hear anyone… Anyone from that same crowd mentioned the children, and even babies, being held captive in Gaza by Hamas and other Gazan civilians; not voluntarily anyway. If they do mention it, it’s because someone pressed them hard about it, to which their response was a mere “yeah, I mean that’s bad and everything, but…”
Secondly, I would bet that most, if not all of the artists at the Oscars are even aware of the horrific significance of the red hand.
Below is a picture of what is now know as the 2000 Ramallah Lynching. A tragic event where two Israeli soldiers were kept in Palestinian detainment after accidentally crossing into Palestinian Authority controlled territory in Judea/Samaria (West Bank). Once word got out that two Israeli Jews were in Palestinian custody, hundreds of Arab Palestinians swarmed the station, eventually broke in, then strangled, stabbed, and beat the two Israeli soldiers to death. The picture below is the most known picture from that event; one of the attackers is showing off his blood stained hands after having killed the two soldiers while the masses cheer and applaud.
That’s where the red hands come from.
To everyone who wore that pin at the Oscars, this is what you are promoting.
This is the very definition of a useful idiot.
So again, to #Artists4Ceasfire: If you claim to stand for justice, please know that you are not. You stand against it. You invert it. You bastardize it.
What’s deeper is that someone did know about the Ramallah Lynching, and deliberately made those pins for the reason of celebrating it. Whoever that person is, it should be more than concerning that such a person had access to an industry that has the attention of billions on a daily basis.
Stop letting yourself be pressured by handlers, managers, PR agents, fans, friends, or anyone else. If you choose to use your platform to speak out on an issue, do your due diligence. Read books. Read historical maps. Watch debates and research every argument being made. Take a trip to the region. If you feel that going with an organization will edit your trip to their liking, go by yourself. Reach out to someone you know who is Israeli and go with them. Go more than once. Read the books there. Do more research there. I would say the same about Gaza, but it’s just not possible for you to go there.
If that seems like a lot, it’s because it is a lot. It takes years. If you feel it’s too much, don’t do it. But in the same manner, don’t lend your voice to an issue you aren’t willing to truly wrestle with. TikTok, the Daily Show, and your friend recently and conveniently started calling themself Palestinian (though they and their family are from Lebanon and Syria) don’t even begin to scratch the surface.
What is going on right now is not a ‘siege on Gaza.’ A siege on Gaza would have been finished just hours after Hamas invaded Israel on October 7th. No, what’s going on right now is a war. It is a war that was declared by Hamas. It is a war that Hamas declared by violating a ceasefire that was already in place. It is a war that Hamas started by slaughtering over 1000 Israelis and members of other countries. It is a war that Hamas perpetuates by not returning the men, women, children, and babies that they stole, raped, and are still holding now.
It’s a war.
If you want a ceasefire, glorifying the lynching of two Israelis does not convey that at all.
And if you knew exactly what those red pins meant, but chose to wear them anyway, you believe the murder was justified. This means you want this war. In that case, just say that.
For those in the #CeasefireNow/#Artists4Ceasefire crowd whose hearts truly are for justice and true peace, please take this to heart and deal with it: you are actively aiding the side of evil.
It would have been better for you to be quiet.
I hope this message reaches those who need it.
Sincerely,
-JD
Well said! Louder for the useful idiots in the back!
Perfectly stated. Thank you.