Three weeks into the Iron Swords War, Angelina Jolie shared her opinion on what is happening in Israel and Gaza to her millions of followers. In a lengthy Instagram post, which gave the impression that the 48-year-old American movie star was more sympathetic to the Palestinian side, Jolie wrote: "Like millions of people around the world, I, too, have spent the past few weeks anxious and angry at the terror attack in Israel and the deaths of so many civilians, wondering how best to help.
Angelina Jolie, Photo by GettyImages
"I too pray for the immediate and safe return of every kidnapped, and for all the families who bear the immense pain of the murder of a loved one. More than anything else, children were murdered and many became orphans. What happened in Israel is an act of terror, but it cannot justify the loss of countless innocent souls by shelling a civilian population in Gaza, a population that has nowhere to flee, has nowhere to flee, has no access to food and water, cannot evacuate, and does not even have the basic human right to cross a border to seek asylum.
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A post shared by Angelina Jolie (@angelinajolie)
"Given my twenty years of working with refugees, my focus is on people displaced by violence. There are two million people in Gaza (half of them children) who have suffered severe blockade for nearly two decades – in addition to decades of displaced and stateless people. The lone aid trucks entering Gaza are a fraction of what is needed (and they entered on a daily basis even before the conflict), and the shelling creates urgent humanitarian hardships on a daily basis. Preventing the delivery of aid, fuel and water is collective punishment. Humanity demands an immediate ceasefire. Palestinian and Israeli lives – and the lives of all people around the world – are equal.
Angelina Jolie, Photo: AP, Archive
"Everything that can prevent civilian casualties and save lives must be done. Like many others, I contributed to medical relief efforts. I chose to support Médecins Sans Frontières and I follow their reports closely," the star concluded.
So far, the post has garnered more than 400,000 likes and more than 37,000 comments, quite a few of them from pro-Palestinian users.
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