Israel’s President Fires Back at Angelina Jolie Over Gaza Critique

ⓒAngelina Jolie Instagram

The British Daily Telegraph reported on the 6th (local time) that Israeli President Isaac Herzog, in an interview with journalist Piers Morgan, sternly criticized Angelina Jolie’s remarks, stating they “do not recognize any right of self-defense for the Israeli people.”

Earlier, on the 1st, Jolie posted pictures on her Instagram of the northern Jabalia refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, which had turned into a scene of carnage due to Israeli airstrikes. She wrote, “The Gaza Strip has been an open-air prison for nearly 20 years and is now becoming a massive graveyard.”

She also wrote, “40% of the deaths are innocent children, and entire families are being killed. Millions of Palestinian civilians are collectively punished and dehumanized.” She pointed out that they also lack food, medicine, and humanitarian aid.

In response, President Herzog said, “(Jolie) has never been to the Gaza Strip and seen the reality on the ground. The Gaza Strip is not a prison because of Israel, but because Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip.”

He went on to say, “The residents of Gaza know there is a war, but there is no humanitarian crisis threatening their survival. The humanitarian aid that Israel, along with the U.S., the U.N., and other countries, is sending to the Gaza Strip is significantly increasing.”

Furthermore, he emphasized, “The tragedy that has befallen the residents of Gaza is because it is a terrorist base in Iran where a large amount of ammunition is smuggled. As a result of this war, the residents of Gaza will be able to enjoy a good life under a different regime that leads to peace.”