Israeli-Palestinian conflict: actress Emma Watson accused of anti-Semitism on Instagram

Emma Watson, October 17, 2021. AP - Scott Garfitt

Text by: Alice Froussard Follow

2 min

A simple image posted on actress Emma Watson's Instagram account 3 days ago has attracted over a million likes, over 124,000 comments and started a real comment war .

A virtual battle that gave rise to an avalanche of messages illustrating the impossible debate on the conflict and the region.

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From our correspondent in Ramallah

,

With this publication, Emma Watson, the actress known to the general public for her role of Hermione Granger in Harry Potter, received many messages of support, but also drew the wrath of Israeli leaders. It is a simple photograph, of a demonstration in Chicago in support of the Palestinians during the last war last May which caused the death of more than 250 Palestinians.

In the caption, actress Emma Watson also took a quote from Anglo-Australian activist Sara Ahmed, “

Solidarity does not mean that our struggles are the same, that our pain is the same or that our hope is for the same future.

But it does involve commitment and work, as well as the recognition that although we do not have the same feelings, the same life or the same body, we live on a common basis.

"

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emma Watson (@emmawatson)

The impossible debate

This post directly caught the attention of Gilad Erdan, Israel's Ambassador to the UN, who replied that “

Fiction can work in Harry Potter, but not in reality.

», Before specifying that

 the magic used in the wizarding world could eliminate the evils represented by Hamas (which oppresses women and seeks the annihilation of Israel) and the PA (which supports terrorism). In this case, I would be for!

"

Danny Danon, Israel's former ambassador to the UN, did not wait any longer either to qualify this publication on solidarity as anti-Semitic tweeting "

10 points for Gryffindor for anti-Semitism

".

An avalanche of reactions which illustrates how impossible it is also to speak of Palestinian solidarity without being treated as an anti-Semite, say Internet users.

It's beyond parody

,” UK presenter Mehdi Hasan tweeted.

Palestinian activist Mohammed al Kurd, who played a crucial role in sensitizing the international community to the forced evictions of Palestinians in the occupied neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in Jerusalem, for his part replied: "

Cry louder, that makes me laugh. .

".

The ultimate weapon

Some also denounce Danny Danon's words as "

a perfect demonstration of the completely cynical and bad faith process of turning anti-Semitism into a weapon to prevent the most basic expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people

".

A commentary war, as it were in the field. 

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