TEHRAN- The strong ties between Hollywood and Israel are rooted in a long history at least partially engineered by the Israeli government and American Zionist groups.

Israel has historically enjoyed staunch support in Hollywood. Its birth in 1948, in the aftermath of the Holocaust, was celebrated by a capacity crowd at the Hollywood Bowl who listened to a recorded message from founding prime minister David Ben-Gurion.

Over the course of 75 years, a staggering number of Hollywood stars have supported Israel. From Kirk Douglas, Sammy Davis Jr., Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, and Barbra Streisand to Gal Gadot, Jerry Seinfeld, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Pine, Liev Schreiber, Amy Schumer, and Michael Douglas, the Zionist state has been fully embraced, backed, and promoted by Hollywood, a treatment no other country has received in Tinseltown.

Hollywood has long enjoyed a special relationship with Israel, both on and off the screen. Hollywood's involvement with Israel has been driven by ideology, business considerations, and market forces. Hollywood's moguls, directors, and actors have supported Israel for more than seven decades, through film production, philanthropy, diplomacy, and celebrity advocacy.

The head of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Jay Sanderson, once said, “There is no country that has a stronger relationship with Hollywood than Israel”. This is not just about the support for an overly represented pro-Israeli community in Hollywood or the role of Israelis in the U.S. film industry today, but also about how Israel itself has become a major source of talent onscreen and an important voice in programming.

As Moment magazine explained in a 2018 article, the development of Israel as a creative source for Hollywood was decades in the making. With “master classes” and all-expense paid trips, these efforts helped Tel Aviv become a major incubator of the industry, leading to local original shows being adapted in the U.S. (such as “In Treatment,” “The Affair” and “Homeland”).

Jack Valenti, the ex-president of the Motion Picture Association of America was fond of saying: “Washington and Hollywood spring from the same DNA.” If Valenti were alive today, however, he would have to add to the mix, Israel’s DNA.

In 2005, not long after the disastrous U.S. invasion of Iraq, liberal Hollywood felt comfortable enough to target then-U.S. President George W. Bush. One of the biggest award contenders that year was Stephen Gaghan’s “Syriana,” a political drama exploring the questionable facets of America’s addiction to oil.

Since then, Hollywood has had #MeToo, #OscarsSoWhite, Golden Globe corruption scandals, the rise of diversity politics, and the recent Screen Actors Guild and Writers Guild of America strikes.

These seismic shifts have changed Hollywood beyond recognition, but one aspect remains unchanged: its enduring relationship with Israel.

It is that relationship that is now under the microscope amidst the cultural fallout of the ongoing war in Gaza.

Since October 7, the Israeli military has killed around 20,000 Palestinians in Gaza, half of them being children.

In the past 75 days, while many actors have voiced support for Israel, there have also been few figures who have supported Palestine.

David Clennon, an Emmy-winning actor and longtime supporter of Palestinian rights, recently said: “Hollywood used to be unanimous in showing its admiration and loyalty to Israel. A new show business generation is beginning to challenge that dominant ideology. And of course, the old guard will do everything in their power to intimidate them.”

“Actors, writers, and industry employees have been fired, or threatened, for criticizing the ideology and practice of Zionism. But these same criticisms are made by Israelis themselves – intellectuals and political activists. It’s ironic that there is more open debate about Zionism in Israel than is allowed in Hollywood.”

Actress Melissa Barrera – a star of the horror film franchise “Scream” – was recently fired from her role in the next installment of the series for posting on social media about Israel’s latest real-life horror show in the Gaza Strip.

Barrera’s crimes included calling for a ceasefire and quoting Israeli historian Raz Segal, an Israeli professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Stockton University in New Jersey, who has argued that Israel’s current behavior constitutes a “textbook case of genocide”.

The Spyglass Media Group production company was responsible for the firing, contending that Barrera’s social media posts on Palestine were anti-Semitic.

Barrera is not the only Hollywood star to come under fire for defying the Zionist script. In November, actress Susan Sarandon was dropped as a client by United Talent Agency (UTA) after speaking at a pro-Palestinian rally. 

This is while she had clearly said that criticizing Israel should not be considered anti-Semitic. “I am against anti-Semitism. I am against Islamophobia.”

The dismissals were preceded by the exit of Creative Artists Agency (CAA) agent Maha Dakhil from the firm for comments supporting Palestinians.

None of the statements justifying the dismissal of Hollywood talents made any reference to the thousands of Palestinians murdered by the Israeli forces thus far. Surprisingly enough, Hollywood institutions have been condemned for not backing Israel strongly enough. Supporters of Israel refer to the October 7 assault in which Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and took around 240 hostages.

The question is, if they can acknowledge the wrongdoings of killings by Hamas, why can’t a single pro-Israel talent in Hollywood also acknowledge the rampant murders the Zionist state has committed not just since October 7 but over the past 75 years against the Palestinians? 

Is Israeli blood more precious, more valuable, than Palestinian blood? Or are Palestinian lives so disposable that they don’t warrant a single mention?   

The Israel propaganda campaign is so relentless that, when the likes of socialites Paris Hilton and Kendall Jenner stage brief shows of compassion for the Palestinian cause on social media, the posts are quickly deleted.

However, many artists do continue to take a stand. Bradley Cooper, Alfonso Cuarón, Selena Gomez, Janelle Monáe, Lupita Nyong’o, Jenna Ortega, Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, and Mark Rylance were among more than 260 who signed a letter urging Joe Biden and Congress to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Even though more actors are coming out in support of Palestinian rights, the overall relationship between Israel and Hollywood remains incredibly strong.

The Israeli government has been investing significant efforts to ensure it stays that way by promoting the development of local content and ideas that support stereotypical portrayals of Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims as terrorists and Israeli security and intelligence forces as wounded and heroic, if flawed, defenders of the Middle East’s “only democracy”.

It seems Hollywood will continue to ignore Israeli crimes, even as the likes of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promise to bring millions of new Jewish settlers to the occupied Palestinian Territories and engage with the openly genocidal far-right Otzma Yehudit party, which has been referred to as anti-Arab.

It will continue to ensure successful “hasbara” (propaganda) efforts by the Israeli government, turning Israel’s various wars into award-winning psychological self-examinations.

SS/SAB