TheQuartering [10/19/2023]
Comedian Sarah Silverman says she made a ‘mistake’ after sharing a post slamming those calling Israel ‘inhumane’ for cutting off water and electricity to Gaza.
Silverman, who is Jewish, triggered an onslaught of criticism on social media after re-sharing a post to her Instagram story.
It read: ‘PSA: There is a very strange thing happening. Many are saying that it’s inhumane that Israel is cutting off water/electricity to Gaza. Israel made it pretty simple – “release the hostages and we will turn it back on”.
‘Instead of pleading with Hamas to release CIVILIAN hostages which include BABIES and TODDLERS there are politicians (cough couch AOC) calling Israel inhumane.
‘If that isn’t enough for you: ISRAEL DOES NOT NEED TO SUPPLY GAZA WITH THESE RESOURCES (which they do, for FREE).
‘If Hamas didn’t spend billions of dollars on terrorism they would be able to build the infrastructure to support themselves.’
Silverman uploaded the post to her Instagram, but its presence there was short-lived, with her moving to delete it after kicking off fierce debate online.
Screengrabs began to circulate on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, where Silverman’s name is trending Thursday.
In response to one post condemning her for supporting the stance, Silverman wrote: ‘Oh f**k yeah I took that down I put it in stories from someone, realized it was a mistake to post in the stoned fury of wondering where the hostages are in all this madness.’
Following her admission, the stand-up comic continued to be flooded with comments from users calling the post ‘genocidal.’
‘Sarah Silverman is justifying a million children being deprived of water – which Israel gives them “for FREE”. Israel has systematically over decades denied Palestine access to its own water sources. From the land stolen from them,’ one person wrote.
Another user called her ‘insane’ and added: ‘When your argument hinges on “maybe the occupying force has a good reason to turn off water to women and children” then it’s time to reassess the status of your brain.’
Others called Silverman ‘racist’ while referring to a photo of the comedian in blackface – the picture, posted in 2010, is one that Silverman has since apologized for, calling it ‘totally racist out of context.’
One more opined: ‘We’ve officially reached the “they actually don’t deserve water and electricity” moment in mainstream discourse’ – a statement which has garnered almost 80,000 likes at the time of publishing.
When news of the Hamas attack broke, Silverman expressed her support for her family in Israel and condemned the militant group in a post on X.
But some of her updates have enraged supporters of Israel.
This includes a post from October 12, where Silverman wrote: ‘Israel only shoots at military targets, but they KNOW they keep those targets in populated areas – so the question is: Why are military targets more important than human life??
‘Why retaliate like this? Just more murder more bodies more hate. My heart bleeds for all the innocent people killed.’
This time she was slammed by people calling her ‘Jew-hating.’
‘It’s self defence (sic),’ wrote one X user. ‘What would you do if you lived in Israel?’
‘Very comfy sitting in the lap of luxury in the US and giving military advice to Israel after it just suffered the worst war crime since the holocaust,’ another said.
Before she was slammed for promoting ‘hateful’ language in the Instagram post, Silverman retweeted a message from the Center for Countering Digital Hate.
It read: ‘Social media has become a new front in modern warfare: it amplifies vile rhetoric dehumanizing people & spreads disinformation. It’s both a weapon for propagandists & a business focused on profiting.
‘But online hate fuels offline violence – and the victims are innocent people.’
Silverman has previously described herself as ‘Jewish agnostic.’
During a 2012 appearance with her sister, a former rabbi, the comedian-slash-actress said: ‘I don’t have religion personally, but I’m Jewish in that it’s in my bones.’
Silverman has argued for more Jewish representation in media, particularly when it comes to Jewish women playing Jewish characters.
‘In a time when the importance of representation is seen as so essential and so front and center, why does ours constantly get breached even today in the thick of it?’ she said in 2021.
The Saturday Night Live star recently announced her departure from the Democratic Socialists of America after the organization expressed its support of Palestine.
‘The DSA of which I was a proud lifetime member, has lost me forever,’ Silverman wrote on Instagram.
‘Over 1000 slaughtered as of now. Girls raped over the bodies of their friends. These are kids, babies, children, teens, elderly, many of whom like my family march in the streets nightly protesting Netanyahu and the occupation THAT’S WHO HAMAS MURDERED you F***S.
Knowing Israel will retaliate – do you get that they don’t give a FUCK about Palestinian lives?????’