Javier Bardem was now not comfy being silent on Gaza.
The Spanish actor spoke out in regards to the Israeli-Hamas battle upon accepting an award on the San Sebastian Film Festival final week. In his nuanced remarks, Bardem condemned the Hamas assaults in addition to the “massive punishment that the Palestinian population is enduring.”
He known as for instant cease-fire, Hamas’ launch of hostages and for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Hamas leaders — a few of whom are actually lifeless — who ordered the Oct. 7 assaults to be judged by the International Criminal Court.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Bardem defined why he selected to talk out.
“I believe that we can and must help bring peace. If we take a different approach, then we will get different results,” Bardem advised the AP, talking previous to Iran’s assault on Israel Tuesday. “The security and prosperity of Israel and the health and future of a free Palestine will only be possible through a culture of peace, coexistence and respect.”
Israel’s offensive has already killed over 40,000 Palestinians, in keeping with Gaza well being officers, displaced the overwhelming majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents and destroyed a lot of the impoverished territory. Palestinian militants are nonetheless holding some 110 hostages captured within the Oct. 7 assault that began the struggle, by which they killed round 1,200 folks, principally civilians. Around a 3rd of the 110 are already lifeless, in keeping with Israeli authorities.
The struggle has drawn sharp divisions in Hollywood over the previous 12 months, the place public help of Israel or Palestine has provoked backlash and bullying, with accusations of antisemitism and Islamophobia, and price folks jobs. Even silence has had its penalties. The #blockout2024 motion pressured celebrities who hadn’t stated something — or sufficient — to take a stand.
“Why now?” Bardem stated. “Because to continue to stall negotiations and return to the previous status quo, as they say, or as we are seeing now, embark on a race to further violations of international law would be to perpetuate the war and eventually lead us off a cliff.”
Bardem pressured that whereas antisemitism and Islamophobia are actual and severe issues within the U.S., Europe and past, that the phrases are getting used to divert consideration away from the “legit proper to criticize the actions of the Israeli authorities and of Hamas.
“We’re witnessing crimes against human rights, crimes under international law, such as, for example, the banning of food, water, medicines, electricity, using, as UNICEF says, war against children and the trauma that’s being created for generations,” Bardem stated. “We cannot remain indifferent to that.”
The Oscar-winner, who was born within the Canary Islands and raised Catholic however now not practices, has spoken up on international points earlier than, signing an open letter calling for peace throughout a 2014 battle between Israel and Hamas, and some years earlier talking to a United Nations committee about refugees in Western Sahara, which he narrated a documentary about. He’s additionally an environmental advocate, and spoke to the UN in 2019 about defending the oceans.
“My mother educated me on the importance of treating all human beings equally, regardless of skin color, ethnicity, religion, nationality, socio and economic status, ability or sexuality,” Bardem stated. “Actions inform us and that alone pursuits me about folks. That’s why I’ve all the time been involved about discrimination of any variety. That consists of antisemitism and Islamophobia.”
Bardem is married to Penélope Cruz, with whom he shares two kids.
He stated that past a concern that the framework of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is in peril, he has seen the results of the battle up shut and the promise of a special method. Two of his shut mates, one Israeli, one Palestinian, each misplaced daughters to violence years in the past and have bonded collectively of their shared ache and want to assist create optimistic change.
Those fathers, Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan, are members of a nonprofit group known as The Parents Circle Families Forum that emphasizes reconciliation. They wrote a letter that Bardem shared: “What happened to us is like nuclear energy. You can use it for more destruction. Or you can use it to bring light. Losing your daughter is painful in both situations. But we love our life. We want to exist. So we use this pain to support change. To build bridges, not to dig graves.”
Bardem added: “That’s what it should be about: Building bridges, not digging graves. That’s why it’s urgent and important.”
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