Hollywood figures sign open letter rejecting use of term 'genocide' for Gaza conflict
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More than 5,000 entertainment, political and academic leaders signed a letter condemning the description of Israel's Gaza response as genocide, while actor Mark Ruffalo issued a counterstatement.
A coalition of over 5,000 individuals from the entertainment industry, politics and academia signed an open letter on Wednesday denouncing the characterization of Israel's military actions in Gaza as genocide. Signatories such as Shari Redstone, Sherry Lansing, Gary Barber and Debra Messing described the term as a harmful accusation against the Jewish people.
The letter, which also included former British prime minister Boris Johnson and Harvard scholar Steven Pinker, cited an ancient Hebrew proverb to argue that the claim is a falsehood that should not be allowed to persist.
Actor Mark Ruffalo, who previously criticized the same issue, responded hours before the letter's release, accusing Paramount Pictures and its leadership of lacking trustworthiness. Ruffalo referenced a proverb about consistency and concluded that the studio does not act in good faith, linking to a report on the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger.
The dispute follows earlier open letters in which some Hollywood figures defended Ruffalo against accusations of antisemitic rhetoric related to a separate corporate merger. Observers noted that the timing coincides with upcoming U.S. midterm elections, the merger controversy, and the awards season, suggesting increased pressure on industry members to publicly align with one side of the debate.