Well-known Jewish creatives, including actor Joaquin Phoenix, playwright Tony Kushner, and comedian Ilana Glazer, joined 350 rabbis on Thursday to call for an end to US President Donald Trump’s plan to expel Palestinians from Gaza.
The group made the call on Thursday in a full-page ad in The New York Times entitled, “Jewish People Say No to Ethnic Cleansing!”
As per the Middle East Eye, the move comes just over a week after Trump’s stunning announcement, alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that the US would expel Palestinians from Gaza, turn it into a beach resort, and not allow them to return.
The decision has been roundly condemned by the vast majority of Democrats, allied governments, and international bodies.
“Jewish leaders from across the political spectrum are outraged by the proposal and felt compelled to speak forcefully against it, even as some American and Israeli Jewish communal leaders endorse Trump’s plan,” a statement from Cody Edgerly, the director of the In Our Name campaign, said.
In Our Name is not affiliated with any other group, Edgerly was reported as saying.
“This action is unbranded and unaffiliated,” Edgerly said.
Data for Progress polling shows 64% of likely US voters disapprove of Trump’s plan for Gaza, while a survey by The Economist and YouGov showed that among Democrats, 35% now say they sympathise with Palestinians versus 9% who say the same about Israelis.