Stars react to the Israel-Gaza conflict

As soon as the Middle East conflict flared up, heated comments followed on social media. Using hashtags such as #IsraelUnderAttack, #FreePalestine or, most recently, #SaveSheikhJarrah, users have been posting videos, photos and comments on TikTok, Twitter and co.

Different stars have also reacted to the situation. Among them is Israeli actress Gal Gadot. The star of Wonder Woman posted an emoji of a broken heart on Twitter, accompanied by a message stating that she was praying for "this unimaginable hostility to end."

Even though she emphasized that both sides deserved to "live as a free and safe nation," she was repeatedly accused by different Twitter users of making propaganda for the Israeli state.

Her stance was often compared to the position taken by Israeli-American star Natalie Portman, who reposted last week to her Instagram stories a post by fellow Oscar winner Viola Davis, titled "What To Know About Sheikh Jarrah," in which she discussed the situation in the contested eastern Jerusalem neighborhood where Palestinians face eviction.

Mark Ruffalo, best known as the Hulk in different Marvel superhero films, has made clear in one tweet that it's possible to criticize the Israeli government's actions in the conflict without denigrating the country's population as a whole: "The people of a country are NOT synonymous with the actions of leaders of that country."  

The star and activist has used the social media platform to call upon US President Joe Biden to intervene in the "ongoing, deadly and meaningless conflict." He has been retweeting reports on the situation that has become "cruel and obscene," as he notably wrote in reaction to a tweet from Israel's official account, managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which lines up a series of emoji rockets while nearly 40,000 people in Gaza have been displaced during the week-long escalation.

Co-founder of the British rock band Pink Floyd, Roger Waters, who has often been accused of antisemitism for his vocal support of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement, goes even further by describing Israel as an "apartheid state" and criticizing President Biden for supporting Israel's "genocidal removal of people from their homes."

Model Bella Hadid, whose father has Palestinian roots, posted photos of her participation in a #FreePalestine demonstration in New York on Instagram, which received more than 4 million likes.

A toxic atmosphere

But beyond obtaining likes, posts related to the Israel-Gaza conflict often lead to aggressive reactions from both sides.

Even though Gal Gadot blocked replies on her post praying for peace, thousands of quote tweets directly insult the Israeli superstar.    

Star pianist Igor Levit, who has been actively taking political stances on Twitter for years, noted that the social media platform's 280-character limit does not allow a nuanced debate and only fuels division: "Problems that can't be solved on Twitter, with memes or very mean DMs, chapter 74990576539: the Middle East conflict," he tweeted on May 11.

But of course, that light warning didn't lead to the harmonious conclusion of the online discussion.

After sharing longer quotes by peace activists and novelists Amos Oz (1939 - 2018) and Elie Wiesel (1928 – 2016), the Russian-German musician of Jewish descent — whose outspoken stance against antisemitism has led him to receive death threats in the past — found that it was time for him to take a break from the Twittersphere.

Bidding farewell, he tweeted on May 16: "It has become unbearable here" — all while pinning at the top of his profile a previous post on how antisemitism needs to be fought by taking a stance and showing solidarity.