Joaquin Phoenix, Cate Blanchett, other A-listers call on Biden to urge ceasefire between Israel, Hamas
'We urge your administration, and all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay,' the letter stated
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dozens of Hollywood A-listers composed an open letter addressed to President Biden this week urging him and other world leaders to push for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
Celebrities including Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix, actress Cate Blanchett, comedian Jon Stewart, and 52 others signed the letter calling Biden to seek peace between the Israeli and Palestinian people.
As noted in Variety, their letter stated, "We ask that, as President of the United States, you call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost. More than 5,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half – a number any person of conscience knows is catastrophic. We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Joaquin Phoenix is one of dozens of Hollywood stars who have signed a letter urging President Biden to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
The letter continued, "We urge your administration, and all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages."
As of Friday, there are 203 Israelis still held hostage by Hamas militants since the Oct. 7 massacre in Israel. Eleven Americans are still unaccounted for since the attack, most likely captured by the terror group.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Other celebrities who signed the letter to the Biden administration include actors Kristen Stewart, Susan Sarandon, Riz Ahmed, and Mahershala Ali.
They added, "As of this writing more than 6,000 bombs have been dropped on Gaza in the last 12 days — resulting in one child being killed every 15 minutes."
The non-profit organization "Artist 4 Ceasefire" put together the message and asked UNICEF spokesperson James Elder to add a comment, which stressed the humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians in Gaza as Israel builds it war effort against Hamas.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Elder wrote, "Children and families in Gaza have practically run out of food, water, electricity, medicine and safe access to hospitals, following days of air strikes and cuts to all supply routes. Gaza’s sole power plant ran out of fuel Wednesday afternoon, shutting down electricity, water and wastewater treatment."
THESE CELEBRITIES HAVE SPOKEN OUT IN SUPPORT OF PALESTINIANS AMID HAMAS TERROR
Cate Blanchett was another of the A-list celebrities who signed Artists 4 Ceasefire's letter. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)
"The humanitarian situation has reached lethal lows, and yet all reports point to further attacks. Compassion — and international law — must prevail," he added.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Other prominent U.K. actors have called out Israel for exacerbating the current crisis. Actress Tilda Swinton and others – under the banner "Artists for Palestine UK" – signed a letter accusing world governments allied with Israel of "aiding and abetting" the Jewish state’s "war crimes" against the Palestinian people.
Recently actress Juliana Margulies took a strong stance of support for Israel following the deadly attack earlier this month, blasting those in Hollywood who are not speaking out against the current wave of antisemitism.
Commenting on this alleged silence, Margulies told Variety, "I don’t understand. It is shocking."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News Digital reached out to Artists 4 Ceasefire for comment on the letter, though the organization has yet to respond.
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