Lately, celebrities have been weighing in on the war with Palestine and Israel. If celebrities don't make a move they risk getting blocked by thousands of people online. So who has made a stand and what is the block out 2024?
The Beginning
Haley Kalil exiting The Mark Hotel, before the Met Gala
Cj Rivera/Invision, via Associated Press
Haley Kalil soon after posted a video apologizing sincerely for her earlier post, which was deleted. Though it was deleted several people started creating their own videos comparing the Met Gala to the Capitol in Hunger Games. Other videos showed clips of the Met Gala and then of children in Palestine. The Capitol citizens are known to dress up very luxuriously, have very rich houses, and live comfortable lives while the people in the districts died because of diseases, famine, etc.
The idea of blocking celebrities first came from a video by @ladyformtheoutside. This was just the start. Several other videos also suggest this was the right thing to do saying that celebrities gain money and fame through their followers, proclaiming that blocking these celebrities was the best thing to do in this situation. Many believe that blocking celebrities who don't speak out about the war will force them to speak out. They believe that this will bring awareness to the war.
Is This the Right Thing To Do?
There are obviously two sides to this topic. It is a very debatable topic so understanding both sides is important before making any decisions.
Photo by Karsten Moran in the New York Times
Affirmative
The blockout challenge could bring light to the war. The awareness could help bring a possible end to the war since more people could try to help. This is a very slight chance however trying would help. Celebrities like Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and Justin Bieber are celebrities that have a huge amount of followers which risk getting blocked by many. This risk could possibly encourage them to speak out and bring awareness to this topic to their large amount of fans. Yes, this method has worked. Lizzo and influencer Chris Olsen have spoken out and told people to donate to pro-Palestine groups. People believe that people, like celebrities, who are in power should use their power to help less fortunate ones. People like Dua Lipa, The Weeknd, and others who have spoken out have been tried to be "boosted."
Negative
Many people however point out it isn't celebrities' job to become activists, that they aren't politicians either. Another possibility is that once celebrities do start expressing their ideas people will start taking sides this could cause their fans to take sides. This won't cause anything to change, the only thing it could likely do is turn protests into more aggressive riots. It's also not the attendees of the Met Gala's fault that there was a protest. The Met Gala has been held since 1948, not only is this one of the most important events for celebrities but it could help them gain more fame.
Celebrities Who Have Spoken Out
These celebrities are people who have spoken out about the Israel - Palestine conflict. These celebrities aren't in any type of order, just listed.
1. the Hadids (Palestinian-American fashion models)
Bella and Gigi Hadid's father, Mohamed Hadid, is Palestinian. Bella proclaims "Future generations will look back in disbelief and wonder how we allowed the Palestinian suffering to continue for so long. A human tragedy unfolding right in front of our eyes.” Gigi Hadid also posted on Instagram supporting Palestine. Many were inspired by their courage, expressing their ideas without worrying about their careers.
2. Malala Yousafzai (education activist and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate)
Malala Yousafzai posted a video on X (Twitter) expressing her support for Palestine. She also wrote a message underneath her video saying “A Palestinian child should be sitting in a classroom, not in rubble.”
3. Zayn Malik (British actor)
Zayn Malik also showed his support towards Palestine by sharing a UNICEF article and bringing attention to the Palestinian children who have died.
4. Gal Gadot (Israeli actress and model)
Gal Gadot, who formerly served for the Israeli army, expectedly, stood with Israel. She said Israel was at war and that they deserve to live in a free and safe nation but adding on that their neighbors do as well. “I pray for the victims and their families. I pray for this unimaginable hostility to end, I pray for our leaders to find the solution so we can live side by side in peace,” says Gadot. On one of Gadot's posts, the caption said, "I stand with Israel you should too. The world cannot sit on the fence when these horrific acts of terror are happening!"
5. Rihanna (Barbadian singer, businesswoman and actress)
Rihanna, a very vocal artist, conveyed that she was heartbroken by the scenes she had seen from the war. She says she stands with humanity and believes that there has to be a way to solve this. Rihanna shared the "#FreePalestine" with several others however she deleted this post afterward.
6. Susan Sarandon (American actress and activist)
Susan Sarandon has demonstrated that she stands with Palestine. She has tweeted several times explaining this. In one of her posts, she says “Standing in solidarity with the Palestinian people who are facing ethnic cleansing and being terrorized at the hands of the Israeli government and Jewish settler organizations. THE WORLD IS WATCHING.”
7. Ashley Tisdale (American singer and actress)
Ashley Tisdale posted on Instagram that, "Now and always we stand with the people of Isreal!" Following this, she had another post explaining how supporting Israel doesn't mean you are anti-Palestinian, and standing with Palestine doesn't mean you are antisemitic.
8. Mia Khalifa (Lebanese-American media personality)
Considered one of the most vocal celebrities Khalifa clarified that Palestinians were freedom fighters and that she specifically called them that because they were fighting for their freedom every day. She then also said she had definitely lost job opportunities because of her opinion.
9. Zara Larsson (Swedish singer and songwriter)
In Larsson's new story, the artist says "Oh so its stand with Ukraine when Russia invades but not Palesti-"
10. Kylie Jenner (American socialite and media personality)
Kylie Jenner posted an Instagram story demonstrating her support for Israel. She used the same picture as some others and said "Now and always we stand with the people of Israel!" However, just hours later she deleted her post after receiving backlash and several people commenting supporting Palestine.
11. Dua Lipa (British Kosovar singer)
Dua Lipa wrote in one of her Instagram posts that “Burning children alive can never be justified, the whole world is mobilizing to stop the Israeli genocide. Please show your solidarity with Gaza. #AllEyesOnRafah.”
12. The Weeknd (Canadian singer and songwriter)
Recently, the Weeknd donated 2 million dollars to provide 18 million bread loaves to families in Gaza. He feeds 157,000 Palestinians for a month. The donation came through the XO Humanitarian Fund.
13. Lizzo (American artist)
Lizzo also showed her support for Palestine. In a video, she encourages people to help Palestine and says “I have been reaching out to activists seeing how I can help and stay tuned for more information on how you can help these ongoing genocides in the world because we ain’t free ’til we all free.”
14. Mohamed Elneny (Egyptian soccer star)
The athlete shared three photos of the Palestinian flag and then wrote "my heart and my soul and my support for you Palestine" in the caption.
15. Emma Watson (English actress)
Famous actress Emma Watson reposted a post from January 22. The post said "Solidarity is a verb," with a collage of Palestinian flags in the background. An accompanying quote said, "Solidarity does not assume that our struggles are the same struggles, or that our pain is the same pain, or that our hope is for the same future, solidarity involves commitment, and work, as well as the recognition that even if we do not have the same feelings, or the same lives, or the same bodies, we do live on common ground."
16. Madonna (American singer, songwriter, and actress)
Madonna is one of the biggest non-Jeweish celebrities who support Israel. They described the war as "devastating". Madonna wrote “Watching all of these families and especially children being herded, assaulted and murdered in the streets is Heartbreaking.” She also said, “Let us all Pray. For Israel. 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱For Peace. ♥️ For The World.”
17. Kris Jenner ( American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman)
Kris Jenner, Kylie Jenner's mother, followed her daughter and supported Israel. On her Instagram, she reposted the @StandWithUs post. This was the same post that Kylie Jenner had used however Kris Jenner didn't delete the post though she also received backlash.
18. Natalie Portman (Israeli-American actress)
Portman, as expected, takes Israel's side of the conflict. However, she mentions that the events " shattered " her heart. Portman wrote on Instagram “Children, women, and the elderly have been murdered and abducted from their own homes."
19. Angelina Jolie (American actress, filmmaker, and humanitarian)
Angelina Jolie expressed criticism towards Israel and in her Instagram post she said "What happened in Israel is an act of terror. But that cannot justify the innocent lives lost in bombing a civilian population in Gaza that has nowhere to go, no access to food or water, no possibility of evacuation, and not even the basic human right to cross a border to seek refuge."
20. Rachel Zegler (American actress and singer)
Rachel Zegler suggests to have a ceasefire. In an Instagram post, she writes "Have you donated today? Have you called your government leaders to pressure world leaders to call for a ceasefire? Your activism should go beyond your social media."
Conclusion
Of course, these aren't all the celebrities that have spoken out and there isn't a wrong or right opinion. The war remains a sensitive topic with everyone having different beliefs and ideas. Blockout2024 is also a newer topic, all we can do now is wait for results and understand others' actions and opinions.
References
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