5 Celebrities Who've Criticized BDS Movement Against Israel

As tensions in the Middle East continue to grow, many celebrities have decided to weigh in on religious and political issues in the region, especially regarding the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

The BDS movement began in 2005 after more than 170 Palestinian groups formed the campaign that aims to get international support in their condemnation of Israel. The movement encourages the international community to boycott, divest in, and sanction the Jewish State for their alleged persecution of Palestinians.

Through grassroots efforts, the movement has launched demonstrations in the U.S., South America, Europe, and Africa. The campaign also aims to launch a cultural boycott on Israel and have attempted to pressure celebrities into canceling their tours in the region.

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While some celebrities have declared their support for the movement, others stand strong in their support of Israel. Below are five celebrities who have criticized the BDS movement:

1. Scarlett Johansen
Despite pressure from OxFam and other groups that boycott Israeli businesses, the actress starred in a 2014 Super Bowl ad for Soda Stream, which has the largest factory in the West Bank. The ad caused Johansen to sever her ties with the charity organization after a statement released on the star’s behalf noted there was “a fundamental difference of opinion in regards to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement,” according to The New York Times.

2. Alicia Keys
BDS supporters Roger Walters and Alice Walker tried to pressure the singer into canceling her Tel Aviv concert in 2013, but the star would not give in. Rather, Keys sang at her scheduled concert, as planned, and told her audience that “people are always trying to tell us what’s right for us and what isn’t. Instead of listening to them, you should listen to your heart,” a message many fans interpreted as support for Israel, Haaretz reported.

3. Ozzy Osbourne
The singer performed in Israel in 2010 to the BDS movement’s dismay after Sharon Osbourne, his wife and manager, said that “music goes beyond politics because it is the international language of the world," and that she “could not be more excited or proud about bringing Ozzfest to Israel for the first time,” Arutz Sheva 7 said.

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4. Adam Sandler
Besides starring in “You Don’t Mess With Zohan,” a 2008 comedy praised for sympathizing with Israel, the actor and comedian donated 400 PlayStation game consoles to children in Israel during the second Lebanon War in 2006, reported Haaretz.

5. Ashton Kutcher
“Israel is near and dear to my heart,” the actor announced while in Israel for his fourth time in 2013 business visit to the Jewish homeland, according to The Jerusalem Post. He also praised the Israeli people for their “valuable innovative ideas.”

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