Several high-profile entertainment industry leaders have teamed up with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Los Angeles Jewish Journal reported Monday, to call for the prevention of allowing Hamas and Islamic Jihad to re-arm.
Eighteen signatories signed the promotional poster, an ad that will run in this week's Jewish Journal. The number signifies "life" in Hebrew, and accompanies the quotation from Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir: "We can forgive them for killing our children. We cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace with them when they love their own children more than they hate us."
Signatories include actress Mayim Bialik, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer, Relativity Media CEO Ryan Kavanaugh, Sony Pictures Entertainment Co-Chair Amy Pascal, media mogul Haim Saban, and film director Brett Ratner.
The ADL letter ends with the hope that "the people of Israel and Gaza can move towards a more peaceful future."
The IDF's self-defense operation in Gaza became a controversial subject in Hollywood over the past several weeks, as several young stars - including Selena Gomez, Rihanna, and Penelope Cruz - turned to Twitter to express their support for Gaza in the conflict, irrespective of Hamas's role.
The move stirred controversy, with Academy-Award winning actor Jon Voight penning a strongly-worded Op/Ed in the Hollywood Reporter supporting Israel and telling the young stars to "hang your heads in shame."
"Hang your heads in shame….You have been able to become famous and have all your monetary gains because you are in a democratic country: America...You had a great responsibility to use your celebrity for good. Instead, you have defamed the only democratic country of goodwill in the Middle East: Israel," Voight wrote.
Radio personality Howard Stern, "Fashion Police" star Joan Rivers, actor Dean Cain, movie director Woody Allen, and comedian Bill Maher each also publicly expressed support for Israel during the operation.