Actor Falsely Accuses Israel of 'Genocide,' Says Sorry Too Late for Contributing to Anti-Semitism
Leftist Hollywood actor Mark Ruffalo has apologized on Twitter for making incendiary anti-Israel statements which, according to him, might have contributed to the shocking rash of anti-Semitic attacks across this country in recent weeks.
Throughout May, as Israeli civilians spent their days and nights dodging thousands of rockets launched by Hamas militants, American institutions, including Hollywood, sided with those threatening Israel’s right to exist. That loyalty to the Arabs in the region was never tested, not even when Hamas predictably used civilians and children as human shields.
Ruffalo, whose Twitter account so often reads as if it were run by the Democratic National Committee, had targeted Israel for launching counterattacks against those whose sole aim is to wipe the Jewish state and its people off the map.
In light of the stunning recent series of attacks against Jewish people across the country, Ruffalo surrendered online Monday that perhaps his decision to publicly accuse Israel of committing “genocide’ might have gone too far.
“I have reflected & wanted to apologize for posts during the recent Israel/Hamas fighting that suggested Israel is committing ‘genocide,'” the actor tweeted. “It’s not accurate, it’s inflammatory, disrespectful & is being used to justify antisemitism here & abroad. Now is the time to avoid hyperbole.”
I have reflected & wanted to apologize for posts during the recent Israel/Hamas fighting that suggested Israel is committing “genocide”. It’s not accurate, it’s inflammatory, disrespectful & is being used to justify antisemitism here & abroad. Now is the time to avoid hyperbole.
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) May 25, 2021
Better late than never for a social media influencer to admit that his choice of words had been counterproductive. But was the apology genuine? Not two weeks ago the actor was portraying the Israel Defense Forces as an aggressor that left “children killed” as he called for sanctions against Israel.
Over 30 children killed. Mothers dead. Hundreds injured. We are on the brink of a full-scale war. Sanctions on South Africa helped free its Black people – it’s time for sanctions on Israel to free Palestinians. Join the call. #GazaUnderAttack https://t.co/N72e0xLvX5
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) May 15, 2021
On May 20, Ruffalo shared a tweet that said, “Tomorrow we will wake up and will still be under occupation with a further entrenching apartheid and a brutal oppression regime. That’s violence. ‘Ceasefire’ is not an end to violence.”
Throughout the middle of the month, Ruffalo actually amplified the voices of dozens of radically anti-Israel people who portrayed the country’s defense of its citizens as some sort of offensive campaign to systematically snuff out the Arabs in Gaza.
One of those posts was from Amnesty International USA and argued “Israeli attacks on residential homes in Gaza must be investigated as war crimes.”
Look at what Jewish people living in the West have dealt with in recent weeks since Ruffalo and his ilk began raising the temperature in “progressive” places such as Los Angeles and New York City — and even across Europe:
??✡️ — NEWS: A Young Jewish Man Was Hospitalized This Evening After Being Beaten In The Street In Midtown Manhattan By Pro-Hamas Rioters.
— Belaaz (@TheBelaaz) May 21, 2021
Palestinians attack Jews outside in Los Angeles because…zionism right?
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר (@emilykschrader) May 19, 2021
“We’ll find some Jews…We want the zionists, we want their blood”. They are literally hunting for Jews in London. The Left’s sick Islamist alliance bearing fruit. pic.twitter.com/2nINXEkbzV
— Rita Panahi (@RitaPanahi) May 24, 2021
This despicable video from #Germany is part of an #Antisemitic attack that has intensified significantly in recent days. We must unite and make it clear to all world leaders: we must declare an unyielding war against Jew haters worldwide. pic.twitter.com/OF3kbFL5cN
— Ambassador Danny Danon | דני דנון (@dannydanon) May 23, 2021
Let’s look at the charter for Hamas: “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it. … The land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf [Holy Possession] consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgment Day. No one can renounce it or any part, or abandon it or any part of it.”
Hamas also claims, “Palestine is an Islamic land … Since this is the case, the Liberation of Palestine is an individual duty for every Moslem wherever he may be. … The day the enemies usurp part of Moslem land, Jihad becomes the individual duty of every Moslem. In the face of the Jews’ usurpation, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised.”
Read those words and compare them to Israel’s proactive yet defensive approach to keeping its citizens safe from annihilation. Hamas is itself admittedly motivated to carry out genocide against Jewish people, as are many of the country’s regional foes.
Where are Israel’s allies? They certainly aren’t in Washington’s upper echelon or in Hollywood — where words from leftist lunatics are cheap and carry far and wide. As influential left-wing Americans this past month began weighing in on the latest round Israel/Hamas violence, their words arguably had ramifications for Jewish people attempting to live peacefully far away from the conflict in Israel.
Accusing the Jewish state of “genocide,” “apartheid” or “war crimes” was never going to help embattled Jewish people across the U.S. and world. Ruffalo, although he dialed back the rhetoric Monday, could have benefited from some old-fashioned but timeless advice: Think before you speak.
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