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Emmys stars call for an end to Israel’s genocide in Palestine

A number of stars have used the Emmy awards to call for an end to Israel’s genocide in Palestine. A number of actors wore an Artists4Ceasefire pin including Ruth Negga, Aimee Lou Wall, Natasha Rothwell, and Chris Perfetti.

And, two stars in particular made sure to speak about Palestine: Hannah Einbinder and Javier Bardem.

Emmys stars speak up on Palestine

Hacks actor Einbinder won best supporting actress and used her acceptance speech to say:

Go birds, fuck ICE and free Palestine.

The moment immediately went viral:

Whilst speaking to the press after her win, Einbinder elaborated:

It is my obligation as a Jewish person to distinguish Jews from the state of Israel. Our religion and our culture is such an important and long-standing institution that is really separate to this sort of ethnonationalist state.

Einbinder’s reference of ethnonationalism is particularly significant. In her paper ‘The Implications of Ethnonationalism on Democracy: Lessons from India and Israel,’ Naba Wahid explains:

Ethnonationalism is a form of nationalism that strives to define the nation in terms of ethnicity. Such an ideology presents itself as inherently exclusionary, volatile for minority rights, and often times at odds with democratic checks and balances.

As far back as 2018, the Israeli Knesset voted to pass a deeply controversial law identifying Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. As Al Jazeera reported at the time:

Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, called the law a bid to advance “ethnic superiority by promoting racist policies”.

The law enshrined the rights of Jewish people in Israel over and above the rights of Arabs, and Palestinians in particular. Hassan Jabreen, general director of Adalah, said:

The Jewish nation-state law features key elements of apartheid, which is not only immoral but also absolutely prohibited under international law.

By defining sovereignty and democratic self-rule as belonging solely to the Jewish people – wherever they live around the world – Israel has made discrimination a constitutional value and has professed its commitment to favouring Jewish supremacy as the bedrock of institutions.

Einbinder’s use of the term is a refreshing display of vital political nuance often missing from celebrity commentary.

Boycott movement

Similarly, Javier Bardem showed up on the Emmys red carpet ready to represent for Palestine. Wearing a keffiyeh, the actor explained he refused to work with any film or television company who support Israel’s genocide:

Bardem also called Israel’s actions in Palestine a genocide:

The United Nations, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch have explained time and time again why and how Israel is meeting the threshold of genocide. However, US and UK governments in particular have refused to use that expert definition. Bardem’s use of the term, then, is one that pointedly elevates the discourse.

Journalist Sana Saeed praised Bardem’s choice of discourse:

And, author Remi Kanazi pointed out that Bardem has been speaking about Palestine as far back as 2014:

Staying in your lane

Celebrity endorsements are, of course, not that important in the grand scheme of things. However, both Einbinder and Bardem have shown exactly what staying in your lane looks like. They’ve both used their platforms to speak up about Palestine. And, they’ve taken their discourse beyond passively wearing a pin, or vaguely calling for a ceasefire. At this point, after Israel’s harrowing and relentless destruction of life in Palestine, calling for a ceasefire is almost crass. Instead, both actors have understood the political climate and context of their words, and deployed them accordingly.

Featured image via YouTube screenshot/Television Academy

By Maryam Jameela

This post was originally published on Canary.