Many celebrities just can’t help themselves – if there’s a contentious subject in the news, they like to share their opinions via social media.
But now passions are running high and there has been a bitter war of words between some very famous faces over the conflict in Gaza.
While Hollywood has traditionally been a strong supporter of Israel, several well-known performers have criticised the Jewish state in the wake of the bombings of Palestinian schools and the rising toll of civilian casualties since the current military campaign began on July 8.
That has sparked a backlash from a number of celebrities – including TV and music stars – and accusations of anti-Semitism.
Penélope Cruz and husband Javier Bardem have weighed in on the controversial subject.
Much of the criticism has been on Twitter, although one of the fiercest feuds started after married couple Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem signed a letter from Spanish film industry workers asking the European Union to condemn Israel for bombing Palestinian civilians, and described Israeli actions as “genocide”.
They backtracked a little after there was a furious response from pro-Israel supporters, with Penélope saying, “My only wish and intention in signing that group letter is the hope that there will be peace in both Israel and Gaza.”
Javier says the letter was meant as “a plea for peace… I am now being labelled by some as anti-Semitic, as is my wife – which is the antithesis of who we are as human beings. We detest anti-Semitism as much as we detest the horrible and painful consequences of war.”
That wasn’t enough to placate actor Jon Voight (Angelina Jolie’s dad) who says Penélope and Javier should “hang their heads in shame” for writing a “poison” letter against the people of Israel.
“I am more than angry, I am heartsick that people like Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem could incite anti-Semitism all over the world and are oblivious to the damage they have caused,” he wrote in an open letter to the Hollywood Reporter.
Meanwhile, comedienne Joan Rivers said Selena Gomez should “shut up” after the singer posted an Instagram message that read, “It’s about humanity. Pray for Gaza.”
When celebrity website TMZ asked if that meant she was pro-Hamas, Selena said she was not supporting the Palestinian organisation, but “praying for peace and humanity for all”.
Joan Rivers has taken a dig at singer Selena Gomez for her views.
However, Joan took a dig at the singer, saying, “Oh, Selena Gomez, that college grad… let’s see if she can spell Palestinian.”
Controversial radio host Howard Stern also took a stand, supporting Israel and telling those who supported the Palestianians to be quiet.
He added, “I don’t know why more prominent Hollywood people don’t speak out about what’s going on there. They’re all afraid.”
As well as stirring up a hornet’s nest among fellow celebrities, the public comments from a range of stars have also riled fans.
Singer Rihanna tweeted the hashtag #freePalestine on July 16, but deleted it eight minutes later after she received a torrent of messages in response – some of them abusive. A source close to her said she was neither pro-Palestinian nor pro-Israeli, but “pro-peace”.
Singer Rihanna has tweeted her support.
One Direction singer Zayn Malik also shared the same hashtag on Twitter and although it got more than 300,000 “favourites” within hours, he was also bombarded with messages of complaint and received several death threats. He did not remove it.
Just a few days earlier his bandmate Harry Styles copped flak after waving a large inflatable hammer with an Israeli flag on it at a One Direction concert.
“If you support Israel, you’re supporting the murders of thousands of families and I don’t care if you’re Harry Styles or my mom, it’s disgusting,” wrote one fan on Twitter.
Madonna managed to stay neutral, tweeting, “Cease fire!”, followed by “Inshallah” (Arabic for God willing), “Baruch Hashem” (Hebrew for God be blessed) and “Praise the Lord”.
