The division in Hollywood over Israel’s war in Gaza has deepened with a petition signed by 4,500+ to boycott the Israeli film industry — including Emma Stone, Ava DuVernay, Andrew Garfield and Joaquin Phoenix — and Hannah Einbinder’s shout of “Free Palestine!” on national TV Sunday as the “Hacks” star accepted her Emmy.
Both the boycott and public statements at the Emmys by Einbinder, who won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy, and a keffiyeh-clad Javier Bardem, nominated for “Monsters,” who defended the petition, have raised hackles among those in the pro-Israel camp who called the actions by turns antisemitic or simply misdirected.
“No, Hannah, That Wasn’t Brave,” went the headline of an op-ed in The Hollywood Reporter by activist Hen Mazzig on Monday morning, saying her comments denouncing Israel filled him “with sadness and fear.”
Day by day the tension between activists on either side of the conflict — between creatives siding with the Palestinian cause and Jewish creatives and executives decrying a rise in antisemitism — are sliding into open warfare, with hostility rising around a painful reality that is mostly happening thousands of miles away.
Paramount became the first Hollywood studio to publicly denounce the Film Workers for Palestine petition, on Friday issuing a statement saying “silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not … advance the cause of peace.” The group later sent an email accusing Paramount of deliberately misinterpreting its position.
Bardem reiterated on the Emmys red carpet that the boycott aims to block commercial and diplomatic relations and sanction Israel.
“I cannot work with somebody who justifies or supports the genocide. It’s as simple as that,” the actor said, adding he will simply not work rather than work with a company that is in business with Israel. “We shouldn’t be able to do that in this industry or any industry.”
He responded directly to Paramount, saying that the studio misunderstood the boycott’s mission. “We do not target individuals by their identity. That’s absolutely wrong,” he said. “What we target are those complicit film companies and institutions that are involved in whitewashing or justifying the genocide.”
Einbinder clarified backstage that her pledge to boycott Israeli film festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and productions does not include individuals and “only boycotts institutions that are directly complicit in the genocide.”
But several prominent individuals in Hollywood who spoke to TheWrap expressed frustration, saying it was absurd to boycott Israeli institutions and claim not to be excluding Israeli artists in doing so. And they said a boycott would not accomplish the goal of alleviating the suffering of Palestinians.
“Israeli artists are the people who give the voice to diversity and all the narratives that bring people together, not keep them apart,” Israeli-American producer Orly Adelson told TheWrap. “They’re the ones that are leading change. So why are we boycotting them?”
The Israeli Film & TV Producers Association echoed this sentiment, saying the petition is “targeting the wrong people” and is “profoundly misguided.”
“For decades, we Israeli artists, storytellers and creators have been the primary voices allowing audiences to hear and witness the complexity of the conflict, including Palestinian narratives and criticism of Israeli state policies,” representatives said in a statement to TheWrap. “By targeting us — the creators who give voice to diverse narratives and foster dialogue — these signatories are undermining their own cause and attempting to silence us. This shortsighted act seeks to eliminate precisely the collaborative efforts working toward ending violence and achieving peace.”
But “Broad City” creator Ilana Glazer told The New Arab that she stands “hand-in-hand” with the organization behind the boycott.
“Film is a necessary tool for human beings to tell our stories,” she said. “The people of Palestine have been narrating this story in the midst of a genocidal campaign against them, and their storytelling has worked. We see the truth: They are a beautiful, dignified people who deserve to live in peace and safety.”
Meanwhile, questions around a boycott remain, including who and how to determine whether an Israeli film institution is found to be “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid,” and whether this might impact high profile shows and companies like the TV producer Keshet, the popular Netflix series “Fauda” or Israeli stars like Gal Gadot.
Film Workers for Palestine did not respond to TheWrap’s requests for comment.
Who is behind the boycott?
Film Workers for Palestine, which organized the petition, does not list any leadership online, but it appears to be linked on social media to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, led by Ramallah-based activist Omar Barghouti, and the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI).
BDS states that its primary mission is to ensure that Palestinians are “entitled to the equal rights as the rest of humanity.” The organization is staunchly anti-Israel and collaborates with organizations to boycott, divest and pressure governments into dismantling the State of Israel as a form of “co-resistance.”
Barghouti founded the movement in 2005 and has since been active on American college campuses, partnering with student groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). In its academic mission, BDS has pressured universities to cut financial and academic ties with Israel.
BDS and PACBI did not respond to TheWrap’s requests for comment.
The language of the Film Workers’ petition suggests a kind of litmus test which is beginning to arise in some cultural organizations. Last week, a German orchestra led by an Israeli conductor Lahav Shani was disinvited from a Belgian music festival Flanders Festival Ghent, after organizers said they were “unable to provide sufficient clarity about his attitude to the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv.”
The petition reads:
“We pledge not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions — including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies — that are implicated* in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.” The asterisk states: “Examples of complicity include whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid, and/or partnering with the government committing them.“
One week after first being published with 1,300 signatures, the petition has 4,500 signatures and counting. In addition to a litany of A-list actors, those signing the pledge also include Hollywood journalists — like Murtada Elfadl, who writes for Variety, The A.V. Club and Backstage — and Abby Sun, the editor of Documentary Magazine.
This marks just the latest example of how the conflict — and the strong feelings it invokes on both sides — has enveloped the entertainment world. Earlier this year, Disney’s “Snow White” was overshadowed by star Rachel Zegler’s pro-Palestinian social media posts and reported tension with Israeli co-star Gal Gadot. In March, the Israeli-Palestinian documentary “No Other Land” opened similar fault lines when it won the Oscar for Best Documentary.
And at the fall film festivals, the issue has become a central issue for conflict. Gadot stayed away from the Venice Film Festival ahead of the screening of her film directed by Julian Schnabel “In the Hand of Dante.” Pro-Palestinian activists demanded that the fest disinvite Gadot and her co-star Gerard Butler, among others, over their support for Israel. Though Venice chief Alberto Barbera confirmed that they were not disinvited, neither actor attended the festival.
Then, the Toronto International Film Festival removed the Oct. 7 documentary “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” from its lineup only to reinstate it as protestors and petitioners accused the festival of “silencing Jewish voices.”
How the boycott would work
Film Workers for Palestine gave detailed instructions for how petitioners could put the pledge into action. The FAQ section of the website specifically claims that the vast majority of Israeli film production and distribution companies, sales agents, cinemas and other film institutions benefit from the Israeli government and are therefore complicit in genocide.
It should be noted that the question of genocide and Israel’s war in Gaza is deeply polarizing. The United States, Israel’s strongest ally, rejects the term as unfounded. This month the United Kingdom concluded that Israel is not committing genocide, noting that there is no evidence of the “specific intent” required under the Genocide Convention to destroy a protected group. Amnesty International published a report last December concluding Israel was committing genocide. In response to a genocide case brought by South Africa, the International Court of Justice recognized in 2024 that there is a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza and has allowed the case to proceed.
The boycott specifically named Israeli film festivals, including but not limited to Jerusalem Film Festival, Haifa International Film Festival, Docaviv and TLVfest, as entities to boycott as they “continue to partner with the Israeli government.”
The Jerusalem Film Festival told TheWrap that, as their festival takes place in July 2026, they “don’t foresee any immediate impact.” The Tel Aviv International LGBT Film Festival, meanwhile, issued a statement in 2024, expressing its investment in Palestinian filmmakers and taking a clear stance against the Israeli government.
The people that you’re harming are the people that agree with you.”
– Rick Rosen, WME co-founder
“Over the years TLVFest has shown solidarity with the struggle for rights, freedom and justice of Palestinian queers and Palestinians in general. We have shown numerous films on this issue. Palestinian queers were, are and will be part of the juries, and some of them were part of the festival team, and will be in the future,” the statement read. “Let me also state very clearly that TLVFest is not ‘pinkwashing’ anything. On the contrary. The very existence of TLVFest stands against the homophobic, racist and misogynistic parts of the parliament (Knesset) of Israel.”
Last year, the festival screened “The Belle From Gaza,” a documentary on transgender Palestinian women in Tel Aviv. The organization added that it is a private initiative separate from the Israeli government, arguing that it shouldn’t be named in the boycott.
For Israeli productions like Netflix’s “Fauda,” it is unclear how they may be affected. The fifth season of the series has been confirmed and is expected to premiere in early 2026. The development of the latest season was impacted by the real world impact of the war in Gaza. Season 4 premiered on the streamer in 2023.
“Profoundly misguided”
For pro-Israel filmmakers and industry professionals, the boycott of Israeli artistic endeavors feels misplaced as many of the artists and filmmakers in the country do not agree with the Israeli government.
“I understand the intent and the emotion of this petition. I don’t think anyone can look at the images and not feel that it’s tragic,” WME co-founder Rick Rosen told TheWrap. “The irony here is that the people that they want to boycott — the writers, the directors, the actors, the producers, the companies — these are the people who are out in the streets every week, protesting against the government, protesting for an end to the war and the release of the hostages.”
Adelson said that for her Israeli friends, who often demonstrate in the streets of Israel, standing against the treatment of the people of Gaza, the boycott feels misinformed.
“It takes away the arts in Israel that are fighting to change what’s happening in Israel,” she said. “They’re not letting or allowing them to do what they do best, which is maybe to be able to tell the story in a way that unites, not a divisive story.”
Ari Ingel, executive director at the Creative Community for Peace, told TheWrap that unlike the U.S., the majority of entertainment and arts in Israel are publicly funded, as NPR or the BBC might be, but they are not inherently parroting the Israeli government’s sentiments. In fact, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself has opposed Israeli filmmakers and artists for disagreeing with his policies.
“I don’t think anybody in any other country is saying we won’t work with a Chinese film company because they’re not coming out and saying China should be dismantled or not exist,” Ingel added. “Or saying we’re not going to work with Paramount Studios because we haven’t seen this statement from the Ellisons now that America and Trump are committing atrocities. It’s a quintessential double standard that they’re placing on Israel, which is antisemitic.”
Rosen said that his Israeli clients came to him with concerns as to what the implications of the boycott could be on their careers. He said it is still too soon to tell.
“The people that you’re harming are the people that agree with you,” he said to those boycotting the Israeli film industry.
