British actress Emma Watson has been labeled as an anti-Semite by Israeli officials after she posted a message of support for Palestine. The actress, well known for her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies, posted an image on her Instagram that showed an image of a Palestinian protest with a banner saying ‘solidarity is a verb’ written across it.
The post elicited widespread appreciation and backing from the Palestinian side. However, Israeli officials slammed the post, calling Watson an anti-Semite.
Israel’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Danny Danon tweeted a screenshot of Watson’s instagram post using a common Harry Potter related phrase – ten points from Gryffindor – to accuse Watson of anti-Semitism.
10 points from Gryffindor for being an antisemite.@EmmaWatson pic.twitter.com/Qaqkx36JSg
— Ambassador Danny Danon | דני דנון (@dannydanon) January 3, 2022
Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan also criticized Watson in a similar manner saying she was not in the magical world of Harry Potter and reality was different. He added that he would like to use magic, if possible, to eradicate Hamas and the Palestinian Authority.
Fiction may work in Harry Potter but it does not work in reality. If it did, the magic used in the wizarding world could eliminate the evils of Hamas (which oppresses women & seeks the annihilation of Israel) and the PA (which supports terror). I would be in favor of that! pic.twitter.com/u1TrP3sqSS
— Ambassador Gilad Erdan גלעד ארדן (@giladerdan1) January 3, 2022
The comments initiated massive backlash on social media with many criticizing the Israeli officials. A peer for the UK’s Conservative Party Sayeeda Warsi called Danon’s comments appalling. She said that showing solidarity with Palestinians was not equivalent to anti-Semitism.
Repeat after me Mr…
Showing solidarity with Palestinians is not antisemitism
Appalling comments from former Israeli Ambassador to the UN
These constant attempts to stifle any and all support for Palestinians must be called out.
Solidarity @EmmaWatson #Palestine 🇵🇸 #EmmaWatson https://t.co/wldYw2PI36— Sayeeda Warsi (@SayeedaWarsi) January 3, 2022
MSNBC personality Ayman also chimed in, calling the whole situation ridiculous. Using sarcasm, he said that even posting a picture that vaguely referenced solidarity was enough to get the poster labeled as an anti-Semite.
No joke, we are at the point where merely posting a vague picture referencing solidarity with Palestinians on Instagram gets you labeled as an antisemite. It’s only Jan 3. May God give me patience for the this year. https://t.co/DsH4K9umtd
— Ayman (@AymanM) January 3, 2022
International journalist Richard Seymour stated that the whole ordeal was a ploy by extremists to label anyone who disagreed with them as an anti-Semite.
Israeli reactionaries and their outriders are not just bloody apologists for pulverising Palestinians but also, and to that extent, systematically undermining resistance to and resilience against antisemitism by filling the public sphere with such sinister and stupid accusations. https://t.co/WOvlbceSzP
— Richard Seymour (@leninology) January 4, 2022
Researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov also contributed to the discussion by calling Danon an embarrassment. She said that criticizing Israeli policies did not make anyone an anti-Semite.
You're an embarassment. Being pro-Palestinian or criticizing Israeli policies doesn't equal antisemitism. You are undermining the struggle against modern-day antisemitism with such nonsense. This makes it easier for actual antisemites to deflect accusations
— Elizabeth Tsurkov (@Elizrael) January 3, 2022
The image posted by Watson’s account was made by the Bad Activist Collective during fighting last year when Israeli jets bombarded the Gaza strip in retaliation to rocket attacks. Several celebrities including Dua Lipa and Bella Hadid expressed their solidarity with the Palestinian cause at that time.
