Shifting sands in Hollywood when it comes to Palestine

Fifty-five Hollywood actors recently wrote to US President Joe Biden urging him to push for a cease-fire in Gaza. "More than 5,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half ... Regardless of creed or ethnicity, we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians," they wrote.

This is not the first time Hollywood has spoken out against the Israel-Palestine conflict. On Oct 12, 700 Hollywood celebrities had signed an open letter expressing support for Israel, saying Hamas' "atrocious acts of terrorism" must be condemned by all.

Hollywood is known to be Democrat-leaning, a political orientation that became evident after the assassination of former US president John F. Kennedy.

Many Hollywood actors naturally disagreed with the relatively conservative politics of the Republican Party, and had close ties with the Democratic Party, particularly the Kennedys.

Even Barack Obama's close ties with Hollywood during his presidency were well-known. He not only went on to produce movies after retirement but has even tied up with Netflix for the same. Biden, a political elder in the Democratic Party, too, has close ties with Hollywood. When he announced his presidential election victory on Nov 8, 2020, many Hollywood celebrities hit the streets in celebration.

Despite Hollywood's ties with the Democratic Party, however, Hollywood has limited influence on issues such as the Israel-Palestine conflict. What's more, Hollywood has more than one voice. As mentioned earlier, on Oct 12, 700 celebrities in Hollywood signed an open letter condemning Hamas and supporting Israel, which is different from the latest letter calling for a cease-fire and to focus on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

On the one hand, the politically left-leaning Hollywood is willing to express support for the underprivileged, women and multiculturalism, on the other hand, capital plays a big role in decisions, especially when it comes to Israel.

Also, Hollywood has lost much of its political clout in recent years, as evidenced by Hillary Clinton losing to Donald Trump in the race to the White House several years ago despite the backing of most Hollywood stars.

After the rise of the streaming media, Hollywood has further lost its influence.

Hollywood stars might show their support on various political issues, but they certainly cannot influence the White House's decision-making. As for the Israel-Palestine conflict, Biden's "I am a Zionist" moment with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the Hamas attack shows where US sympathies lie.