Artists4Ceasefire, the industry collective that has been pushing for an end to the current war in Gaza (and whose pin badges were worn by several attendees at this year’s Oscars ceremony), is launching a new initiative calling for a halt to illegal arms sales to Israel.
Through a partnership with artist Shepard Fairey and several humanitarian organizations — including Oxfam America, ActionAid USA and War Child Alliance/Children in Conflict — spearheaded a call to action bearing the message “Ceasefire Now, Stop Weapons, Save Lives” that urges the halt to what it says are “weapons transfers that violate U.S. and international law.” Such laws state it is illegal to supply or use weapons to commit “grave human rights violations,” including striking schools or hospitals, restricting humanitarian aid, and killing children.
To accompany the effort, Fairey has launched a new artwork featuring a peace dove holding barbed wire in its beak, an image he said “carries the message of the collective humanity we must find to rise above hostility and put an end to the destruction and devastation.”
The Israel-Hamas war was ignited on October 7 when Hamas terrorists staged a coordinated attack on Israelis in the Gaza region that left more than 1,000 people dead and more than 200 hostages taken.
The call comes as part of what Artists4Ceasefire says is its ongoing advocacy for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the safe return of all hostages, and the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza, a call it first issued through an open letter to the U.S President Joe Biden in October 2023 signed by more than 470 major Hollywood and cultural figures, including Joaquin Phoenix, Cate Blanchett, Jon Stewart, Kristen Stewart and Riz Ahmed.
Among the members of the Artists4Ceasefire collective speaking out for the new effort are Mark Ruffalo, Mahershala Ali, Cynthia Nixon, and Ilana Glazer.
“Our demand is simple — our elected leaders must enforce existing U.S. and international humanitarian laws that prohibit the use of military assistance to commit ‘grave human rights violations,’” said Ruffalo, who has long been an advocate for Palestinian rights and has spoken out against Israeli military aggression.
Ruffalo noted that the U.K. had recently announced that it was halting 30 arms export licenses to Israel, something he said was “not enough, but it’s a start, and more than the U.S., the biggest supplier of arms and weapons to Netanyahu and the state of Israel, has done.”
He noted the U.S. government holds “the cards to achieving a permanent ceasefire. We keep hearing that they’re working around the clock to achieve a ceasefire. Let’s be clear: Biden already has the authority to condition or cut off offensive military aid to Israel if Netanyahu refuses to accept a permanent ceasefire.”
Ali, meanwhile, called for an end to the “mass destruction” being perpetrated using U.S. tax dollars.
“We are standing together to remind U.S. and global leaders that the lives of millions of human beings are on the line — both Palestinians and Israelis — and by sending and endless barrage of weapons, we are in fact facilitating death and destruction, while merely paying lip service to peace, security and humanity for both people,” he said.
“Words without action will not end the unbearable suffering of Palestinian and Israeli mothers, fathers and children,” said Nixon. “Enough is enough. The global call for a permanent ceasefire — supported domestically by an overwhelming majority of Americans — must be answered.”
Glazer said that the way in which the U.S. is “breaking international law” about arms sales to Israel was “making Jewish people less safe and contributing to the global rise of antisemitism.”
She added: “The safety and security of Jews and Muslims, of Israelis and Palestinians, is inextricably intertwined. We have a moral and legal obligation to stop the flow of weapons.”
This past weekend, Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six of the remaining hostages, who were shot execution-style.
After 11 months of war, Israel’s military operations in Gaza have killed at least 40,000 Palestinians, 16,500 of them children, according to the local ministry for health.
The devastation has also led to a major humanitarian crisis, with nearly all of Gaza’s 2.2 million people having been displaced from their homes. Some 96% of Gaza’s population is reportedly facing acute food insecurity.
“The direct targeting of hospitals and obstruction to healthcare facilities by Israeli forces, alongside the limited access to medical supplies, has endangered around 50,000 pregnant women and 20,000 newborn babies,” said ActionAid USA, as part of the new call to action.
“The humanitarian crisis in Gaza grows more dire each day, fueled by the United States’ seemingly limitless provision of weapons to Israel,” added Oxfam America’s associate director for peace and security, Scott Paul. “The United States must stop the sale of lethal arms to Israel in violation of its own law and policy. It must push for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza and secure the return of all hostages and illegally detained prisoners. Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages remain at risk until a ceasefire is secured; it is the only way to ensure peace and security for all Palestinians and Israelis.”
Rob Williams, War Child Alliance CEO, added: “The situation for children in Gaza is the deadliest we at War Child and Children in Conflict have seen in our over 30-year history. But for every minute this war continues, children’s lives are in danger. We can’t say it enough: an immediate and permanent ceasefire is desperately needed to protect children from this worsening catastrophe. Furthermore, all hostages and Palestinian civilians detained without due course must be released. Only when this war ends will it be possible to rebuild homes and livelihoods and get children the food, water, and mental and physical health support they desperately need.”
The Artists4Ceasefire initiative brought a strong response from a coalition of entertainment industry leaders who joined together as the Brigade following the October 7 attacks to address the shocking rise of global antisemitism.
It’s a sign of how polarizing the circumstances around the Israel-Hamas war have been within the entertainment industry. While the actions of Hamas have been near-uniformly condemned around the world, the war has also brought renewed scrutiny to Israel’s activities in the region.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli prime minister, has faced loud calls for his resignation, from Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel among others, for policies that many see as exacerbating the suffering and putting Israelis at risk as demonstrated by Oct. 7.
In a statement, the Brigade coalition called the Artists4Ceasefire statements “dangerous, ignorant uninformed anti-American nonsense” that amounts to “antisemitism cloaked in anti-Zionism.”
“Hamas shattered the cease fire on October 7th by killing the most Jews at one time since the Holocaust, and to be clear Hamas is the enemy of both Israelis and Palestinians each who are pursuing a peaceful co-existence. Last weekend we learned of the devastating executions of six beautiful innocent lives, including Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an American citizen again at the hands of Hamas. We all need to focus our energies on securing the return of the seven americans still being held in Gaza — and the other 90 hostages,” the statement said.
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