The British website Middle East Eye published an article by Egyptian film critic and film programmer Joseph Fahim, in which he commented on the decision of Hollywood companies to exclude famous actresses Susan Sarandon and Melissa Barrera, for criticizing the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
The author of the article believes that Hollywood needs to hold itself accountable for adopting a culture that supports Israel and tends to eliminate the different other.
Fahim described the current wave aimed at silencing anti-Israel sentiments as more terrifying than all previous attempts in this regard, including slandering and defaming Arabs in films produced by Hollywood studios and agencies.
Although Hollywood has witnessed enormous changes in its handling of events to an extent beyond description – according to Fahim – one aspect of its approaches has not changed, which is its “established” relationship with Israel.
He said that “Hollywood icon” Susan Sarandon was excluded last month by the United Talent Agency – an American company in the field of entertainment, film production and others – because of a comment she made during an anti-war march in Gaza in which she said, “There are many people who are afraid of being Jewish.” These days, they are drinking the same cup that Muslims in this country drink by being exposed to violence most of the time.”
On the same day, Spyglass Media Group, an American film production company, also removed actress Melissa Barrera from the “Scream” film series due to her criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Is Israeli blood more precious and valuable than Palestinian blood? Or is the life of a Palestinian so disposable that it is not worth mentioning even once?
The exclusion decisions were preceded by the dismissal of American talent agent Maha Dakhil from the Creative Artists Agency for criticizing the war in Gaza.
Fahim claims that Western cinema has two faces. While it expressed “justified” anger regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it remained silent about what is happening in the Middle East, adding that the newspaper “Variety” published a report on November 21 stating that the artists’ agency… Creators Saira Rao and Regina Jackson were fired for writing a book in which they supported the Palestinians.
The Variety article also reported that a number of agents at the Creative Artists Agency called for writer Ta-Nessie Coates to be fired for the same reason.
The Egyptian film critic reported in his article – which we are talking about – that all the punished artists had described what was happening in Gaza as “genocide,” a word that has long been considered taboo in Hollywood.
A billboard with lights in Rotterdam, Netherlands, demanding the liberation of Gaza (social networking sites)
Palestinian blood and Israeli blood
He wonders: If a handful of the harshest critics of Israel in Hollywood can acknowledge that the Hamas movement committed “sins” by killing civilians, then why cannot a pro-Israel talent in Hollywood itself acknowledge the widespread crimes committed by the “Zionist” state not only since the Al-Aqsa flood on October 7/ Only October, but over the past 75 years?
Fahim continues to ask: Is Israeli blood more precious and valuable than Palestinian blood? Or is the life of a Palestinian so disposable that it is not worth mentioning even once?
According to the article published on the British Middle East Eye website, the strong relations between Hollywood and Israel have been established over a long history, planned to some extent by the Israeli government and American Zionist groups.
Although the number of films promoting Israel and produced by Hollywood over the past 75 years are few and far between, it is the “astonishing” numbers of movie stars who have continued to support Israel throughout those years that have expressed the love story that links Hollywood and Israel.
Among these stars are, for example, Kirk Douglas, Sammy Davis Jr., Elizabeth Taylor, and Frank Sinatra.
Fahim quotes researchers Giora Goodman and Tony Shaw in their 2022 book on the history of the relationship between Israel and Hollywood, that Israel’s aggression in the occupied Palestinian territories in the late 1970s, along with its invasion of Lebanon in the following decade, was one of the reasons for its loss of influence in Hollywood.
He adds that an increasing number of liberal Jews in Israel and the world no longer have affiliation with Zionism.
Israel has long used the Holocaust, which the Jews were subjected to at the hands of the German Nazis, as a tool to oppress the Palestinians and rob them of their basic rights to self-determination, but it has proven to be nothing more than a tactic that “degrades its legacy,” in the words of the Egyptian film critic.
