gaza
Page: 3
HipHopWired Featured Video
Drake was the target of criticism from the likes of DJ Vlad and others for not speaking up about the Israel-Gaza conflict due to his Jewish heritage. The Canadian superstar joined with a number of other celebrities in signing a letter addressed to President Joe Biden calling for a ceasefire in the war-torn region.
Via a dedicated website, Artists4Ceasefire hosts a letter addressed to President Biden that calls to end the conflict that continues to see massive casualties on both sides. With much of the world learning of the conflict by way of varying sources, a clear picture of what is occurring between Israel and Palestine has been hard to completely clarify. There have been accounts from the ground from activists using what means they can to inform the public.
From Artists4Ceasefire:
We come together as artists and advocates, but most importantly as human beings witnessing the devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors in Israel and Palestine.
We ask that, as President of the United States, you and the US Congress 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.
We urge your administration, Congress, 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. Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two thirds are refugees and their descendants being forced to flee their homes. Humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach them.
We believe that the United States can play a vital diplomatic role in ending the suffering and we are adding our voices to those from the US Congress, UNICEF, Doctors without Borders, The International Committee of The Red Cross, and so many others. Saving lives is a moral imperative. To echo UNICEF, “Compassion — and international law — must prevail.”
Among the dozens of stars to sign the letter, including Drake, other names present are Miguel, Diplo, Run The Jewels (El-P and Killer Mike), Vic Mensa, Jennifer Lopez, Mahershala Ali, Snoh Aalegra, and more.
Read the entire letter here.
—
Photo: Getty
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: San Francisco Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images / Getty
Shaun King is back in the headlines after getting into an online row with the families of freed American hostages in Israel.
The release of Judith and Natalie Raanan, hostages who were captured by the terrorist organization Hamas in their attack on the Gaza settlement in Israel on October 7, has led to a public feud between the activist Shaun King and their families. King claimed in a post on social media that he “worked frantically behind the scenes to help make this possible.” He also claimed that he worked “behind the scenes with an eclectic group of 30+ people that would normally never work together or get along”.
Judith and Natalie Raanan were visiting relatives when they were captured by the militants along with an estimated 200 other people. Their release was reportedly enabled through negotiations overseen by the Qatari government in coordination with the Biden administration, the International Red Cross, and the Israeli government. The women are currently in the protection of the Israeli military.
Relatives of the Raanans refuted King’s claims in a statement issued to TMZ. “First and foremost, we make it clear that he is lying! Our family does not and did not have anything to do with him, neither directly nor indirectly. Not to him and not to anything he claims to represent,” it said.
Shaun King, whose online fundraising efforts and zealous promises falling short have earned him heavy criticism in the past, fired back in his response to The Daily Beast. “I spoke directly and repeatedly with this family. I have a job, career, and family. I would be throwing everything away to make such a thing up. Thankfully I kept records of all of them,” he wrote in the email. He would then post a statement from Ben Raanan, the brother of Natalie, through his account on X, formerly Twitter, and claim they had been in contact on October 9 before posting images of their chats.
Uri Raanan, Natalie’s father, did note that Ben had spoken with King. “Ben, my son was talking with him without anybody in the family knowing about it until today,” he said after being contacted by the press. “Our family in Israel posted this statement denying we knew him before we learned about Ben talking to him. We have nothing further to say.”
To say that the Israel-Gaza conflict is divisive would be an understatement.