Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem ended an interview on ABC talk show The View by showing support for Gaza. However, the show quickly cut to commercial, sparking discussion.
What did Javier Bardem say on The View?
The View host Ana Navarro asked Bardem about his activism. This prompted the actor to begin discussing Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
Bardem urged officials to “draw a line in the sand,” regarding blocked aid and attacks on Palestinian civilians. He also acknowledged the yellow pins worn by The View‘s hosts in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
“The situation in Gaza has come to a term now where I cannot express the pain that I, along with many millions of people there, suffer on a daily basis watching those horrible images of children being murdered and starving to death,” he said.
He later said that he believes Israel is committing an act of “genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza.
“Genocide” in Gaza
Bardem is not alone in this assessment of the situation. A United Nations special committee called the attacks on Palestinians a genocide and urged the General Assembly to take action in November.
“A genocide is unfolding before our eyes: History will not forgive our inaction,” the committee report reads.
The committee found Israel’s actions consistent with genocide, including starvation as a tactic of war. Gaza’s 2.1 million population is at high risk of famine as Israel blocks humanitarian aid, including food, per the World Health Organization.
“Three quarters of Gaza’s population are at “Emergency” or “Catastrophic” food deprivation, the worst two levels of IPC’s five level scale of food insecurity and nutritional deprivation,” the WHO’s May report reads.
The View‘s hosts did not respond to Bardem’s comments, as the show quickly cut to a commercial break. According to a report by DECIDER, the next segment of The View was pre-recorded, so the interview had to be cut short.
The show uploaded the entire clip of Bardem’s interview to its YouTube channel.
How did viewers react?
Viewers discussed Bardem’s statement on Reddit. Many praised the actor for sharing an opinion that may differ from the hosts.
“Props to him for talking about this on the view just based on the demographic of their audience and everything,” one wrote.
“Beautifully said. It’s heartwarming to see another human being acknowledge the suffering of others with empathy,” another said.
“Good for him – he has a spine,” a third added.
“I’m surprised more celebrities haven’t been stronger activists and I’m saddened that standing for humanity in Gaza would ever be seen as anything negative,” another commenter shared.
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