Latest news with #YuvalAbraham
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israeli group of artists, intellectuals call for 'crippling sanctions' on Israel
'Our country is starving the people of Gaza to death and contemplating the forced removal of millions of Palestinians from the Strip,' the letter alleged. Thirty-one Israeli filmmakers, artists, academics, and former politicians called for the international community to impose 'crippling sanctions' on Israel to pressure it into a ceasefire with Hamas in a Wednesday letter to The Guardian. The signatories include Academy Award recipient Yuval Abraham, former attorney-general Michael Ben-Yair, former speaker of the Knesset and former Jewish Agency head Avraham Burg, and former MK Tamar Gozansky. 'Our country is starving the people of Gaza to death and contemplating the forced removal of millions of Palestinians from the Strip,' the letter alleges. 'We, Israelis dedicated to a peaceful future for our country and our Palestinian neighbors, write this with grave shame, in rage and in agony,' it states. The European Commission announced on Monday that it would recommend to the European Union to partially suspend scientific and technological cooperation with Israel in the Horizon research and innovation program as an initial step against Israel's actions in Gaza. The UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and Norway sanctioned National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in June. The US and the EU have also sanctioned select Israeli settlers and groups in the West Bank for violence against Palestinians. Awdah Hathaleen, a Palestinian activist who was featured in Abraham's No Other Land, was killed during clashes with settlers in the village of Umm al-Khair in the West Bank on Monday, allegedly by sanctioned settler Yinon Levi. Levi was released to house arrest by the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court on Tuesday. The full list of signatories: Yuval Abraham: Academy Award recipient for No Other Land (2025) Ra'anan Alexandrowicz: Sundance world cinema jury prize recipient for The Law in These Parts (2012) Udi Aloni: Tribeca Film Festival best international narrative feature recipient for Junction 48 (2016) Liran Atzmor: Peabody Award recipient for The Law in These Parts (2013) Professor Tali Bitan: University of Haifa Michael Ben-Yair: Former attorney general of Israel and former acting Supreme Court judge Nir Bergman: Ophir award recipient for Here We Are (2020) Avraham Burg: Former speaker of the Knesset and former head of the Jewish Agency Peter Cole: Poet, translator, and MacArthur Fellow Guy Davidi: International Emmy Award recipient for 5 Broken Cameras (2013) Ari Folman: Golden Globe recipient for Waltz with Bashir (2009) Shira Geffen: Camera d'Or recipient for Jellyfish (2007) Prof. Emeritus Amiram Goldblum, Hebrew University of Jerusalem Prof. Oded Goldreich: Weizmann Institute of Science and Israel Prize recipient (2021) Tamar Gozansky: Former Knesset member Prof. Uri Hadar: Tel Aviv University Prof. Moty Heiblum: Wolf prize in physics recipient (2025) Adina Hoffman: Writer, Windham Campbell prize recipient (2013) Eran Kolirin: Screenwriter and film director, Ophir Award recipient for Let It Be Morning (2021) Nadav Lapid: Screenwriter and film director, Golden Bear recipient for Synonyms (2019) Alex Levac: Israel Prize recipient (2005) Hagai Levi: Television writer and director, Golden Globe recipient for The Affair (2015) Samuel Maoz: Film director, Golden Lion recipient for Lebanon (2009) Dr. Adi Moreno: Tel Aviv-Yafo Academic College Prof. Michal Na'aman: Painter, Israel prize recipient (2014) Ohad Naharin: Choreographer, Israel Prize recipient (2005) Daniella Nowitz: Cinematographer, Ophir Award recipient for Asia (2020) and Israel TV Academy Award recipient for Carthago (2023) and Bad Boy (2024) Prof. Adi Ophir: Tel Aviv University Inbal Pinto: Choreographer and dancer, Israeli Culture Ministry award recipient (2011) Aharon Shabtai: Poet and translator, Israeli Prime Minister's Prize recipient (1993) Eyal Weizman: Director of Forensic Architecture Solve the daily Crossword
Time of India
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Director Of Oscar-Winning Film Killed In Protest; Colleague Calls It Cold-Blooded, Filmed Live
Alaa Al-Dali, a Palestinian journalist and co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary 'No Other Land', was fatally shot by an Israeli settler during a protest in the occupied West Bank. His Israeli co-director, Yuval Abraham, condemned the incident as 'murder,' stating the shooting was unprovoked and recorded on video. The killing has triggered international condemnation, particularly because Al-Dali was not only a filmmaker but also a prominent advocate against displacement. The attacker has been placed under house arrest by Israeli authorities, further fueling public anger and renewing discussions around settler violence and accountability in the region. Read More
The Guardian
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The starvation of Gaza is shameful. Crippling sanctions on Israel are needed
We, Israelis dedicated to a peaceful future for our country and our Palestinian neighbours, write this with grave shame, in rage and in agony. Our country is starving the people of Gaza to death and contemplating the forced removal of millions of Palestinians from the Strip. The international community must impose crippling sanctions on Israel until it ends this brutal campaign and implements a permanent ceasefire. Yuval Abraham Journalist; Academy Award recipient (2025)Ra'anan Alexandrowicz Documentary film-maker; Sundance world cinema jury prize recipient (2012)Udi Aloni Film-maker; Tribeca film festival best international narrative feature recipient (2016)Liran Atzmor Documentary film-maker; Peabody Award recipient (2014)Prof Tali Bitan University of HaifaMichael Ben-Yair Former attorney general of Israel; former acting supreme court judgeNir Bergman Screenwriter and film director; Ophir award recipient (2020)Avraham Burg Former speaker of the Knesset; former head of the Jewish AgencyPeter Cole Poet and translator; MacArthur FellowGuy Davidi Documentary film-maker; International Emmy Award recipient (2013)Ari Folman Screenwriter and film director; Golden Globe recipient (2009)Shira Geffen Actor and screenwriter; Camera d'Or recipient (2007)Prof Emeritus Amiram Goldblum Hebrew University of JerusalemProf Oded Goldreich Weizmann Institute of Science; Israel prize recipient (2021)Tamar Gozansky Former Knesset memberProf Uri Hadar Tel Aviv UniversityProf Moty Heiblum Wolf prize in physics recipient (2025)Adina Hoffman Writer; Windham Campbell prize recipient (2013)Eran Kolirin Screenwriter and film director; Ophir Award recipient (2021)Nadav Lapid Screenwriter and film director; Golden Bear recipient (2019)Alex Levac Israel prize recipient (2005)Hagai Levi Television writer and director; Golden Globe recipient (2015)Samuel Maoz Film director; Golden Lion recipient (2009)Dr Adi Moreno Tel Aviv-Yafo Academic CollegeProf Michal Na'aman Painter; Israel prize recipient (2014)Ohad Naharin Choreographer; Israel prize recipient (2005)Daniella Nowitz Cinematographer; Academy Award recipient (2023)Prof Adi Ophir Tel Aviv UniversityInbal Pinto Choreographer and dancer; Israeli ministry of culture award recipient (2011)Aharon Shabtai Poet and translator; Israeli prime minister's prize recipient (1993)Eyal Weizman Architect; director of Forensic Architecture
The Guardian
29-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Israeli public figures call for ‘crippling sanctions' on Israel over Gaza starvation
A group of high-profile Israeli public figures, including academics, artists and public intellectuals, has called for 'crippling sanctions' to be imposed by the international community on Israel, amid mounting horror over its starvation of Gaza. The 31 signatories of a letter to the Guardian include an Academy award recipient, Yuval Abraham; a former Israeli attorney general, Michael Ben-Yair; Avraham Burg, a former speaker of Israel's parliament and former head of the Jewish Agency; and a number of recipients of the prestigious Israel prize, Israel's highest cultural honour. The figures come from the worlds of poetry, science, journalism and academia, and the letter accuses Israel of 'starving the people of Gaza to death and contemplating the forced removal of millions of Palestinians from the strip'. It adds: 'The international community must impose crippling sanctions on Israel until it ends this brutal campaign and implements a permanent ceasefire.' The letter is significant both for its unvarnished criticism of Israel and for breaking the taboo of endorsing stringent international sanctions, in a country where politicians have promoted laws targeting those advocating such measures. Among other signatories are the painter Michal Na'aman; Ra'anan Alexandrowicz, an award-winning documentary filmmaker; Samuel Maoz, the director of the Golden Lion-winning film Lebanon; the poet Aharon Shabtai and the choreographer Inbal Pinto. The mounting international horror over the trajectory of Israel's war in Gaza is increasingly being reflected inside Israel itself – and within the wider global Jewish diaspora – amid images of emaciated Palestinian children and reports of the shooting by Israeli forces of hungry Palestinians at food distribution centres. The letter was published as it was announced that more than 60,000 Palestinians had been killed in the 21-month Israel-Gaza war, according to Gaza's health ministry. On Monday two well-known Israeli human rights groups, B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, released reports assessing for the first time that Israel was conducting a 'genocidal' policy against Palestinians in Gaza, breaking another taboo. On Sunday the Reform movement, the largest Jewish denomination in the US, said the Israeli government was 'culpable' in Gaza's spreading famine. 'No one should be unaffected by the pervasive hunger experienced by thousands of Gazans. No one should spend the bulk of their time arguing technical definitions between starvation and pervasive hunger. 'The situation is dire, and it is deadly. Nor should we accept arguments that because Hamas is the primary reason many Gazans are either starving or on the verge of starving, that the Jewish state is not also culpable in this human disaster. The primary moral response must begin with anguished hearts in the face of such a large-scale human tragedy. 'Blocking food, water, medicine, and power – especially for children – is indefensible,' it said. 'Let us not allow our grief to harden into indifference, nor our love for Israel to blind us to the cries of the vulnerable. Let us rise to the moral challenge of this moment.' The latest interventions follow comments earlier this month by the former Israel prime minister Ehud Olmert, who told the Guardian that a 'humanitarian city' Israel's defence minister has proposed building on the ruins of Rafah would be a concentration camp, and forcing Palestinians inside would amount to ethnic cleansing. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, officials and rightwing NGOs have continued to deny the existence of famine in Gaza caused by Israel. That has occurred in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, including the UN's exacting and data-based food security monitor, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification mechanism, and Donald Trump's acknowledgment of 'real starvation' in the coastal strip. The Israeli government has been contacted for comment. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each.
Arab News
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israeli public figures urge ‘crippling sanctions' on their country amid Gaza famine
LONDON: High-profile Israeli public figures have called for 'crippling sanctions' to be launched against Israel by the international community to avert further disaster in Gaza. The appeal came in a letter to The Guardian by a group of 31 signatories, including academics, artists and public intellectuals. The letter was signed by Academy Award recipient Yuval Abraham; former Attorney General of Israel Michael Ben-Yair; former Parliament Speaker Avraham Burg; and winners of the Israel Prize, the country's top cultural award, among others. Israel is 'starving the people of Gaza to death and contemplating the forced removal of millions of Palestinians from the strip,' the letter says. Its signatories are esteemed figures in journalism, science, academia and more, representing a significant shift in Israeli public life, as more prominent figures begin to criticize the war in Gaza. The letter's endorsement of severe international sanctions against Israel is also taboo; politicians in the country have called for the targeting of those who promote such measures. Israel's war in Gaza, which is reaching the two-year mark, is also generating further public angst and criticism of the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The wider Jewish diaspora is engaged in renewed debate over the trajectory and morality of the war. This week, two of Israel's top human rights groups, B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights Israel, published reports that described their country's actions in Gaza as 'genocidal.' Tuesday's letter says: 'The international community must impose crippling sanctions on Israel until it ends this brutal campaign and implements a permanent ceasefire. 'No one should be unaffected by the pervasive hunger experienced by thousands of Gazans. No one should spend the bulk of their time arguing technical definitions between starvation and pervasive hunger. 'The situation is dire, and it is deadly. Nor should we accept arguments that because Hamas is the primary reason many Gazans are either starving or on the verge of starving, that the Jewish state is not also culpable in this human disaster. The primary moral response must begin with anguished hearts in the face of such a large-scale human tragedy. 'Blocking food, water, medicine, and power — especially for children — is indefensible,' it said. 'Let us not allow our grief to harden into indifference, nor our love for Israel to blind us to the cries of the vulnerable. Let us rise to the moral challenge of this moment.' Earlier this month, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in comments to The Guardian, condemned his country's planned 'humanitarian city' in southern Gaza as a concentration camp. Forcing Palestinians inside the zone from the rest of the enclave would amount to ethnic cleansing, he added. Netanyahu and his government continue to deny the existence of famine in Gaza, or any potential Israeli links to the disaster unfolding in the territory.
