Justin Bieber makes painful mistake in Story about Israel
The horrific images are, I think, burned into the retinas of many people: the horror currently unfolding in Israel, Palestine, and the Gaza Strip. The music festival last Saturday, notably the Music Festival for Peace, in southern Israel where 260 festival-goers were murdered and where an unknown number were kidnapped by Hamas. The terror of Hamas did not stop at that music festival: in various places in Israel, Hamas stormed into homes and left death and destruction behind. This week, news also emerged that 40 babies and toddlers were murdered in the kibbutz Kfar Aza. They were reportedly beheaded and burned.
Unthinkable what is happening there now, what a horror. And when something so terrible happens in the world, public figures are often expected to speak out. Perhaps you expected that from us here at Amayzine as well. In recent days, I have spent a lot of time reading up on the situation in Israel, Palestine, and the Gaza Strip. And to be honest: I knew (and still know, because you can't just catch up in a few days) far too little to say anything meaningful about it. It's not so black and white as far as I'm concerned. Jordan C. Brown, a political strategist, aptly expressed it in this Instagram post:
View this post on Instagram
Yet people want to see celebrities take a stand, but is that really justified? For example, Taylor Swift has not spoken out about the situation, and her fans are quite upset about it, while it could also be that she knows she doesn't know enough to come up with a statement. Then it's better to be silent, listen, read, and gain knowledge than to make your voice heard.
Perhaps more celebrities should have realized this, as there are quite painful mistakes being made in this area. For example, Justin Bieber, who posted the following on his Instagram Stories.
Now I personally wonder if Justin Bieber has done his due diligence and actually read up on this protracted conflict between Israel and Palestine (and what Hamas actually entails and that it is absolutely not the same as Palestine), but that's beside the point. What is so painful about this? That photo, that is not Israel. That photo is actually the bombed Gaza Strip. In my opinion, a really painful mistake, because how deeply have you then delved into it? The comments probably flooded in, as the Story didn't stay online for long and was replaced by the following Story. Side note: he was not the only celeb who made this mistake, Jamie Lee Curtis posted a similar photo with incorrect text.
If you need more information about what is happening in Israel, Palestine, and the Gaza Strip, the following links may be interesting:
- This documentary from World History Documentaries which can be seen on YouTube On the Learning for Justice website, there are
- many links with information TikToker Anat
- uploads a daily update about life in the Gaza Strip, where she lives Do you want to know if you can do something yourself? On the Time website, there is a
- list of charities Justin Bieber looking at his phone while walking down the street
