More than 5,000 figures from entertainment, academia, politics, literature and public life have signed an open letter rejecting the description of Israel's actions in Gaza as 'genocide' and warning that the accusation is contributing to antisemitism around the world.
The letter, released through Creative Community for Peace, has attracted prominent names including former Paramount executives Shari Redstone and Sherry Lansing, actors Debra Messing, Mayim Bialik and Jennifer Jason Leigh, historian Niall Ferguson, Harvard professor Steven Pinker and former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The signatories argue that criticism of Israel is legitimate but that describing Israel as genocidal crosses a line they believe can endanger Jewish communities.
