World
Mia Khalifa sparks backlash after saying IDF is 'taught to aim at children'
The media personality ranted about Israel in a provocative social media clip
July 6, 2023 12:33
The media personality ranted about Israel in a provocative social media clip
July 6, 2023 12:33A social media personality and former adult actress has come under fire for incendiary remarks about the IDF's operation in the West Bank.
Mia Khalifa, a Lebanese American influencer, posted a video to Tiktok in which she claimed that IDF soldiers were "taught to aim at children" and that Israeli forces do not respect laws around rules of engagement and have a "disgusting mindset" towards Palestinians.
In the one-minute clip, the 30-year-old who was born in Beirut, said that many Palestinians live in multi-generational homes that may contain terrorists and that Israeli forces deliberately "devalue" the lives of all occupants regardless of whether they belong to terror groups.
After posting the clip online, Khalifa was immediately criticised by both Muslims and Jews.
Hey @miakhalifa, we know you're used to playing roles, but let's not pretend to be a Middle East expert. Claiming Jews want to kill children is just an old antisemitic plot. The casualties in Jenin were all armed terrorists. https://t.co/W8bWzN6Lf7
— Itay Milner (@ItayMilner) July 5, 2023
Itay Milner, the New York Israeli consulate spokesman said: "Hey Mia Khalifa, we know you're used to playing roles, but let's not pretend to be a Middle East expert. Claiming Jews want to kill children is just an old antisemitic plot. The casualties in Jenin were all armed terrorists."
In a statement after the conclusion of the IDF's raid into the West Bank this week, the Israeli army said: "In a 48-hour, focused counterterrorism activity targeting heavily-armed terrorist groups in the densely-populated Jenin Camp (0.42 km²), no non-combatants were killed."
When we say we make every effort to protect civilians & only target terrorists —we mean it."
Khalifa was raised Christian by Catholic parents in Lebanon before emigrating to the USA in 2001.
Last year, she also sparked controversy after tweeting a picture of her drinking a bottle of 1943 champagne made in Nazi-occupied France alongside a caption that read "My wine is older than your apartheid 'state'"
In 2015, Khalifa said she received death threats from the Islamic State after filming a pornographic film while wearing a hijab.
Alex Hawkins, Vice President of Marketing for xHamster, said at the time: "The outrage it caused in the Arab world ended up being a bit of a 'Streisand effect'. Suddenly, everyone was searching for her. The effort to censor her only made her more ubiquitous."