v Richard Gere, Simon Pegg and Claire Foy are among more than a hundred celebrities who have signed a letter which talks of “apartheid” while condemning Israel’s listing of Palestinian rights groups as terror organisations.
Ian McEwan, Susan Sarandon and Mike Leigh have also signed the letter, which was published on Wednesday by Artists for Palestine UK.
Jewish groups around the world have long objected to the use of the term “apartheid” in relation to Israel.
In April, the Board of Deputies condemned Human Rights Watch for using the word in a report on the Jewish state, saying it was a “slur”.
The US-based Anti Defamation League has alled use of the term “inaccurate and highly charged”.
The 114 signatories include long-standing critics of Israel, among them actor Mark Rylance and the controversial left-wing film director Ken Loach.
Mark Ruffalo, Philip Pullman and Peter Gabriel also put their names to the letter.
It calls upon Israel to reverse the recent decision to brand six leading Palestinian civil rights bodies as terrorist groups. The Israeli government accused them of having ties to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and of funnelling aid to militants, charges the groups deny. The decision drew criticism from voices in the EU and the US, as well as some Israeli politicians.
The letter accused Israel of “apartheid occupation and settler-colonialism.” It praised the “vital work” of the six groups in empowering Palestinians and holding “Israel accountable for its gross human rights violations and apartheid regime of institutionalised racial discrimination”.
Commenting on the letter, Caroline Turner, director of UK Lawyers for Israel, said:
“Engaging in human rights work does not prevent an NGO from also funding and supporting terrorism. If these organisations are not linked to the PFLP, they can appeal to the Israeli courts.”
Among those reacting online, Jewish activist Eve Barlow tweeted: “The latest bunch of antisemitic idiots. Would it be so hard for them to actually fight for Palestinians in an honest way?”
She added: “Of course. That would require not blaming Jews.”
Asked by the JC if he had been shown the entire letter before signing, Mark Rylance said: “Why would I not be?”
