PARIS: A new open letter signed by more than 1,000 actors and film figures has denounced as “antisemitic” calls to boycott some Israeli film institutions over the war in Gaza, underlining growing tensions in the entertainment world.
The letter from a collective called the Creative Community For Peace and The Brigade accused the more than 8,000 people who have backed a boycott, including stars Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix, of “amplifying antisemitic propaganda.”
The biggest names behind the counter letter include Liev Schreiber (“Spotlight“) Mayim Bialik (“Young Sheldon“) and Sharon Osbourne, as well as top business figures such as the CEOs of Universal Music and FOX Entertainment Global, Bruce Resnikoff and Fernando Szew.
“Israeli film institutions are not government entities. They are often the loudest critics of government policy,” the letter claims, adding that boycotting was a form of “collective punishment.”
“We call on all our colleagues in the entertainment industry to reject this discriminatory and antisemitic boycott call that only adds another roadblock on the path to peace,” it said.
It also noted the difficulty in deciding which institutions should be boycotted because of their supposed “complicity” in war crimes or genocide.
The letter does not condemn the Israel’s ongoing siege of Gaza, which UN-mandated investigators determined earlier this month was a genocidal bid to “destroy the Palestinians.”
“If you want peace, call for the immediate release of the remaining (Israeli) hostages (in Gaza). Support filmmakers who create dialogue across communities. Stand against Hamas,” the counter letter added, referring to the Palestinian militant group.
From the music, film to publishing industries, growing numbers of Western artists are calling for a cultural boycott of Israel over the conduct of the Gaza war, hoping to emulate the success of the apartheid-era blockade of South Africa.
An open letter from a collective called Film Workers for Palestine, published on September 8, has gathered thousands of signatories who have pledged to cut ties with Israeli institutions such as festivals or production companies “implicated in genocide.”
The groups defines “implicated in genocide” as “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid, and/or partnering with the government committing them.”
Rival Hollywood open letter denounces Israel boycott call
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Rival Hollywood open letter denounces Israel boycott call
- A new open letter signed by more than 1,000 actors and film figures has denounced as “antisemitic” calls to boycott some Israeli film institutions over the war in Gaza
Modi starts Mideast-Africa tour as India-Oman free-trade pact nears completion
- Oman’s Shoura Council approved the trade deal’s draft last week
- Modi begins trip in Amman, heading to Addis Ababa and Muscat
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi left New Delhi on Monday for a tour covering Jordan, Oman and Ethiopia, as his government looks to strengthen partnerships with West Asia and Africa and finalize a free-trade deal with Muscat.
Modi’s four-day trip will start in Amman, at the invitation of King Abdullah.
“I am sure this visit will boost bilateral linkages between our nations,” Modi said on social media upon his arrival in Jordan, where he was received by Prime Minister Jafar Hassan.
On Tuesday, he is scheduled to arrive in Addis Ababa for his first state visit to Ethiopia. A day later, he will be in Muscat, where the Shoura Council last week approved the draft Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with India.
“If it is signed during this visit, it will significantly deepen the economic ties between India and Oman. And it will open up a new chapter in the history of India-Oman trade and commercial relationship,” Ministry of External Affairs Secretary Arun Chatterjee told reporters ahead of Modi’s departure.
He said Modi would be accompanied by a high-level delegation for his second visit to Oman, after his last trip in February 2018. It also follows the visit of Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq to India in December 2023.
Free-trade negotiations between India and Oman began in November 2023, with the first round in New Delhi and the second in Muscat.
When the talks concluded in March 2024, Oman sought revisions on market-access terms and the final signature was postponed.
Announcements of the deal’s possible finalization have been made in the past few months by India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and the Omani ambassador to New Delhi, Issa Saleh Al-Shibani.
It would be its second with a GCC country after a 2022 trade deal with the UAE, as India has been trying to reach a similar agreement with the whole bloc.
“The framework is expected to be the same as the UAE’s, that is, a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. This is significant given that the progress on India-GCC FTA has been slow and non-consequential so far,” said Muddassir Quamar, associate professor at the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University.
While Oman is one of Delhi’s smaller GCC trading partners — trailing behind the UAE and Saudi Arabia, with bilateral trade about $10 billion — it remains strategically important, particularly in energy and logistics.
“The FTA is likely to give a boost to India-Oman economic and trade relations, especially of goods and services. (It is) important given India has worked to enhance its trade and economic relations with the Gulf countries that are (among) the most dynamic and fast-expanding global economies,” Quamar told Arab News.
“It is also important because there is immense potential for Indian businesses and industries to partner with their Gulf and Omani partners in contributing to the diversification and economic growth plans.”
