CNN
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Greater than 50 celebrities have issued an open letter to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, urging the administration to do every thing in its energy to convey Israeli hostages dwelling.
Comic Chelsea Handler, actress Connie Britton and Bravo’s Andy Cohen are amongst those that have signed the letter, which asks Biden and Harris to “shield and assist” Israel amid the continued battle between the nation and Hamas.
“We’re artists who need sustainable peace within the Center East and acknowledge that the primary important step in the direction of that peace is Hamas returning the 101 remaining hostages,” the letter, reported first by CNN, states.
It comes weeks after six Israeli hostages, together with Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, had been killed by Hamas. The Israel Protection Forces (IDF) mentioned the hostages’ our bodies had been present in a Hamas-run tunnel beneath town of Rafah, and that they had been “brutally” murdered “a short time” earlier than troops had been in a position to attain them.
The remaining hostages have been held for almost a yr, since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
Among the many different signatories are actors Mayim Bialik, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rebecca Gayheart and Patricia Heaton; actuality TV personalities Jill Zarin, Margaret Joseph and “The Bachelor” alum Colton Underwood; and social media influencers akin to Ariel Martin, higher often known as Child Ariel on TikTok, the place she has over 36 million followers, and dancer Montana Tucker, who has almost 10 million followers on TikTok.
The letter, which is signed by each Jewish and non-Jewish performers and artists, was organized by 4 Jewish advocacy teams: StopAntisemitism, Finish Jew Hatred, 2024 New Voices and StandWithUs.
“We’re approaching one yr since 251 hostages had been brutally stolen from their lives and 1200 had been murdered. It’s so essential to maintain the highlight on this,” 2024 New Voices founder Samantha Ettus informed CNN. “Our celebrities have come collectively to attract consideration to the 101 hostages remaining in Gaza, together with 5 Individuals. After the brutal execution of six hostages, the urgency of getting the world to speak about that is now. We have to put as a lot strain as potential on Hamas to return the hostages.”
Earlier this month, US officers told CNN that doubts have been raised throughout the White Home about whether or not the Israel-Hamas battle can come to an finish earlier than Biden leaves workplace.
Based on a Human Rights Watch report released this summer, Hamas-led armed teams dedicated “quite a few battle crimes and crimes towards humanity” that had been “directed towards a civilian inhabitants” wherein “killing civilians and taking hostages had been central goals of the deliberate assault, not an afterthought, a plan gone awry, or remoted acts.”
The US response to the Israel-Hamas battle has divided some within the leisure trade.
Two weeks in the past, a gaggle of Hollywood stars, together with Ariana Grande, Ben Affleck, Mahershala Ali, Cate Blanchett, Drake, Dua Lipa, Jennifer Lopez, Richard Gere and Mark Ruffalo, signed their names on a brand new Artists4Ceasefire letter, which known as on the US to halt arms gross sales to Israel.
“Past our ache and mourning for all the folks there and their family members world wide we’re motivated by an unbending will to face for our widespread humanity,” the Artists4Ceasefire letter states. “We stand for freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all folks – and a deep need to cease extra bloodshed.”
The complete 2024 New Voices letter will be discovered here.