Ben Stiller on the war between Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian state and anti-Semitism
Jewish actor Ben Stiller wrote an opinion piece published in Time magazine about his views on the need for a nuanced stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the global rise of anti-Semitism, and his desire for a Palestinian state.
Stiller said he felt obligated to speak out as a public advocate for refugees and explained his concerns about not having spoken out earlier.
“How do you express the complicated and very real feelings in this scary world of social media, where it seems every opinion you express online is subject to vitriol from one side or the other?” Stiller asked. “The issues we deal with are so nuanced and complicated that short statements in no way fully express what I want to say from the bottom of my heart.”
Ben Stiller on the war between Israel and Hamas
“Like so many Jews,” Stiller wrote, “he mourns those who suffered from the barbaric Hamas attack on October 7 and those who have suffered as a result of those atrocities.”
In Hamas’ attacks on southern Israel, over 1,200 people were killed and over 250 others kidnapped.
“My heart aches for the families who lost loved ones in this heinous act of terror and for those who have been waiting for months for the return of the hostages still held captive,” he wrote. He did not comment on Israeli communities that continue to face daily rocket fire from Hamas and other Islamic terror groups that make up the Iran-backed “Axis of Resistance.”
While Stiller wrote that he mourned the Israeli people, he stressed that he “also mourns the innocent people of Gaza who lost their lives in this conflict and those who are now suffering from this terrible reality.”
The Jewish actor defended the need for Israel to wipe out Hamas, one of the stated goals of the war in Gaza, writing: “I abhor war, but what Hamas did was unconscionable and reprehensible. The hostages must be released. Terrorism must be named and fought by all people of conscience on the planet. There is no excuse for this under any circumstances.”
“I stand with the Israeli people and their right to live in peace and security,” he wrote.
While Stiller defended Israel’s motives in the war, he said he did not support all of its decisions to wage war.
On the impact of the war on Palestinian civilians, which has been repeatedly described as a “humanitarian crisis” by the United Nations and numerous world leaders, Stiller wrote: “I want the violence to end and for the innocent Palestinians affected by the resulting humanitarian crisis to receive the life-saving assistance they need. And I know many in Israel share that sentiment.”
Stiller’s solution to the conflict
STILLER strongly advocated a two-state solution that would see the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
“I believe, like many people in Israel and around the world, in the need for a two-state solution that will ensure that the Israeli people can live in peace and security while the Palestinian people have a homeland that offers them the same benefits,” he wrote.
While Western states have repeatedly begun to recognize a Palestinian state and call for a two-state solution to the conflict, there are doubts as to whether the Palestinians would accept such a solution.
The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found that only 35 percent of Palestinians supported two states in December, rising to 62 percent in March as the war in Gaza continued.
Work in advocacy
Stiller is of refugee descent, which motivated him to work on humanitarian causes. He wrote about how his paternal grandmother came to the United States as a refugee from Poland during the Holocaust and how his maternal grandparents emigrated from Ireland to New York in search of a better life.
Stiller pointed out that he had visited “refugees and those affected by war and violence in Lebanon, Guatemala, Jordan, Poland and Ukraine” together with the United Nations.
His extensive activities on behalf of refugees included advocating for them “at the United Nations and before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where he implored the (US) government not to ignore this global humanitarian crisis.”
Anti-Semitism is increasing worldwide
Stiller condemned the anti-Semitism that increased worldwide after the Hamas attacks and the start of the war. Reflecting on the situation, he wrote that he saw a “disturbing conflation of criticism of the actions of the Israeli government with condemnation of all Israelis and Jews. And as a result, we are witnessing an undeniable rise in global anti-Semitism. I see it myself, on the streets of the city where I grew up. It is not right and must be condemned.”
“Anti-Semitism must be condemned whenever it occurs and wherever it exists. As must Islamophobia and bigotry of all kinds. There is a frightening forgetfulness of history in the air. We must remember that only by learning from the past can we create a more hopeful, just and peaceful future.”
He concluded his article by saying that the war against Hamas “must end” and “human suffering must end. That is what we must demand of our leaders. Peace is the only way.”
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