The official Instagram account of Emma Watson, operated by an anonymous Feminist Collective, expressed solidarity with Palestinians. It shared a photo of the Pro-Palestinian protest with the words “solidarity is a verb” displayed prominently on it. This was a repost of an image that went viral last year.
Watson’s account also shared a quote from the British-Australian scholar Sara Ahmed. It says that solidarity does not mean assuming that our struggles, pains, and hopes are the same. Solidarity means commitment, hard work, and recognition that we live on the common ground even with all the differences.
The post captured widespread support from the Pro-Palestinian groups and heavy criticism from Israeli officials.
Emma Watson Faces Accusations of being an Antisemite
The post garnered over 1 million likes and 90 thousand comments, most thanking Emma Watson for her support. It was also the hype season of Harry Potter Reunion, which helped amplify Watson’s post. Many commented on the post with Free Palestine hashtags to express their solidarity. On the other hand, Israeli officials got mad and criticized the post. Israeli Ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, called it fictitious and said that magic only worked in Harry Potter movies and not real life. He added that if magic were real, he would use it to eradicate Hamas and Palestinian Authority.
His remarks came after another Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, posted “10 points from Gryffindor for being an antisemite”. Social media couldn’t understand if Israelis were deliberately trying to be satirical or proud of what they had been doing to Palestinian aboriginals since 1948.
Is It so Offensive to Criticize Israel?
The response from Israeli officials strengthened the criticism of the Zionist regime. Even Pro-Israel groups reportedly condemned their officials for further tarnishing their country’s reputation by targeting Emma Watson. In addition to being a huge movie star, Watson is also a Women’s goodwill ambassador of the UN since 2014. She is known for her campaigns to promote gender equality and solidarity movements. Attacking Watson for supporting Palestinian rights proves how Israel cannot tolerate even a pea-sized criticism.
The Bad Activism Collective originally shared the post in May last year when Israel attacked Gaza Strip for 11 days. Many celebrities came forward to express solidarity with Palestinians, including Bella Hadid.
Why Israel Claims “anti-Semitism” Whenever It Faces Questions?
Criticism against Emma Watson shows a typical example of how Zionists weaponize phrases like “antisemitism” and “holocaust” to shut down expressions of solidarity with Palestinians. Former Israeli Government Minister Shulamit Aloni had also confessed that using false accusations of anti-Semitism according to the state’s interests was a “trick” for Israeli authorities.
VIDEO — Former Israeli Government Minister Shulamit Aloni confesses that "it's a trick" for Israel to use false anti-Semitism accusations in accordance with its interestspic.twitter.com/CTfS4OqfgD
— DAILY SABAH (@DailySabah) January 3, 2022
Zionist politicians have long used such accusations to bury questions about Israeli atrocities. Ex-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once revealed how he manipulated Oslo Accords, deprived Palestinians of their land, and manipulated the US to follow its narrative in a leaked audio tape.
