Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone Among 200 Hollywood Stars in Signed Statement Condemning Hamas
Close to 200 Hollywood stars, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, have signed a statement condemning the "ideologies of hatred" of militant group Hamas, and called for peace and justice in Gaza.
"We, the undersigned, are saddened by the devastating loss of life endured by Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza. We are pained by the suffering on both sides of the conflict and hope for a solution that brings peace to the region," begins the statement, signed by the stars on the website Creative Community For Peace.
"While we stand firm in our commitment to peace and justice, we must also stand firm against ideologies of hatred and genocide which are reflected in Hamas' charter, Article 7 of which reads, 'There is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!'" the statement continues.
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"Hamas cannot be allowed to rain rockets on Israeli cities, nor can it be allowed to hold its own people hostage. Hospitals are for healing, not for hiding weapons. Schools are for learning, not for launching missiles. Children are our hope, not our human shields."
A 10-day ceasefire and long-term peace talks collapsed in Gaza last week, after Hamas fired rockets at Israel, prompting Israeli Armed Forces to retaliate with air strikes.
The armed conflict, which began in July, has led to well over 2,000 deaths in Gaza, mostly civilians. Hamas has blamed Israel for the high death toll, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that militants are using people as "human shields" and are hiding out in residential areas from where they launch their attacks.
CCFP has stated that it is "an organization of prominent entertainment industry executives devoted to using art and music to build bridges for peace."
Breitbart.com pointed out that CCFP board members have been reaching out to actors, comedians, musicians and industry power players to show a "shared commitment" to "Israel's right to defend its people against the terrorist organization known as Hamas as well as empathy for the loss of all innocent lives."
The long list of celebrities who have signed the statement also includes Tom Arnold, Joe Cohen, Sarah Silverman and others.
David Renzer, CCFP co-founder and chairman of Spirit Music Group, expressed his gratitude to the celebrities who have joined the cause.
"We are heartened to have received such an enormous response from within the industry — from artists to producers, agents, attorneys, managers, and industry executives — which is gratifying especially as we witness the disturbing growth of anti-Semitism around the globe," Renzer said.
CCFP spokesperson Lana Melman added that the statement has "clearly struck a chord within the community, demonstrating Hollywood's willingness to publicly support peace and Israel."
