Culture  Film&TV
Richard Gere calls for an end to 'the occupation'
Tzipi Shmilovitz
Published: 08.03.17, 17:21
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18 Talkbacks for this article
1. Richard Gere
(03.08.17)
What a complete jerk. Good actor lousy politician.
2. Another useful idiot has to open his mouth.....
David ,   Hartford USA   (03.08.17)
Richard, your 'two states for two peoples with Jerusalem as the joint capital' has a few problems:

1) Abbas and other have stated that no Jews will be allowed to live in 'Palestine.' Will Israel be allowed to reciprocate and force all its Arabs out?

2) Running a country requires tax revenue. Arabs are notorious for not paying taxes. Who will pick up the shortfall? What you suggest means that 'Palestine' will slide into third-world infrastructure- and everything else.

3) 'Palestine' will have a border with failed-state Syria and Jordan. Who will prevent terrorists from crossing into 'Palestine?' The likes of Abbas and his security force? Do I need to tell you how many of that same 'security force' have been convicted of terror attacks on Israelis?? Do you really believe that 'Palestine' wouldn't become a staging area for terrorists?

4) The 'settlements' (in the rest of the world, they're called 'towns' or 'villages' or 'cities') are a made-up issue by the Arabs. Arafat never complained about settlements- why was that? Abbas yammers about the settlements because he knows he can get mileage out it at the Jew-hating UN and leftwing idiots in the EU.

Finally, Richard, since you are now a spokesman for Planet Earth, why not ask the Arabs who want their own state to stop all incitement to jihad in schools, mosques, and media; all demonization of Israel and Jews, all negative TV programming, and all the terrorist attacks on Israelis?

If you could tell the Arabs to calm down and act like human beings for six months, to be absolutely nice to everyone they meet, to just put all their hatred aside for a while, then everything is possible. Everything.

Meanwhile, since you aren't the one who will be run over by a car, shot at, stabbed, butchered in you bed, or blown up at a cafe, you really shouldn't feel obligated to open your mouth and make us all realize that you're just a useful idiot after all.
3. IT IS OBVIOUS:
CAPTAIN OBVIOUS ,   SAFED OBVIOUS   (03.08.17)
Acting and Politics DO NOT MIX WELL .
4. Acting career is winding down
Talula   (03.08.17)
So, to keep himself in the limelight he wants attention from another sphere. The man is a moron.
5. His job is to mimick what others have written for him
He'sJustAnActor ,   Jerusalem Israel   (03.08.17)
For a Buddhist his words are very un "Budderly" very harsh not to say
ignorant of the facts and the people he so viciously malines
But after all he is just an actor and his talent is to read words
that others have written for him not to take him or others in Hollywood
so seriously. Streisand opens her mouth to sing and out come lovely
melodies but when she opens her mouth to talk out comes " ugly"
they should stick to what the do best
6. His choice to say whatever he thinks "should be said". Why
(03.09.17)
it "should be said" is another matter altogether. What is more worrying & important: too many Israelis live in doubt, thinking that we've committed some form of "sin" by returning to our ancestral home. That is what's threatening us from inside! Geniuses like Gere can dutifully recite their expected mantras, who cares? BTW: "good actor"?, People get serious!
7. china is taking over Hollywood here will be a capo
raffy1956 ,   los angeles   (03.09.17)
another hysterical anti semitic Hollywood slug voicing the current anti Israel verbiage! when Buddhists bay like hounds does the Dalai Llama smile?
NEVER AGAIN!
8. Dalai L compared Tibetans to Jews
Anna ,   world   (03.09.17)
The Dalai Lama compared the Jews to the Tibetans, both chased away from their holy land, but the jews already are turning back to their land. The Dalai lama talked to rabbis on how to return and said he admired the mystical side of judaism like tibetan buddhism has as well.
9. TO RICHARD " KING DAVID " GERE
DA RAP ARTISTE ,   SAFED RAP HOUSE   (03.09.17)
Go occupy yo mama.
10. CONFUCIUS SAYS :
CONFUCIUS ,   SAFED CHINA   (03.09.17)
Politics is a Minefield ,better for actors / celebrities NOT to enter the minefield.
11. A STILL TONGUE MAKES ?
ALBERTO EINSTEIN ,   SAFED GENIUS   (03.09.17)
A wise head.
12. Things that should be said.
tiki ,   belgium   (03.09.17)
Mr. Gere living in his make believe world although payed for with hard cash, really thought he could 'solve the problems of Tibet.

This is how he will 'solve the problems of the Palestinian Arabs.

Why does every actor coming to Israel feels the need to give his/her political opinion on "Illegal Jewish settlements on stolen Palestinian lands" instead of fighting his own government to return stolen land to the Indians or his own Los Angeles to the Mexicans.
13. Frankly, no one listens to
BUILD BABY BUILD !!   (03.10.17)
an actor who can't act , much less think. Stick to acting, pal.
14. Richard Gere - I will boycott all your movies
Alexander ,   Tel Aviv   (03.10.17)
1) No "Palestine" or "Palestinian" people has ever existed in recorded history.

Not a single ancient record of a single ancient civilization has ever mentioned any "Palestinian" people, nation, tribe, ethnicity, race, culture, identity, nationality, language, alphabet, religion, cities towns or villages, palaces or temples, kings, queens or royal families anywhere. Why?

By contrast, 10-15 ancient Mid Eastern, North African and Mediterranean civilizations make direct historical references to the ancient Jewish nation and people, the land of Israel, the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the capital of Israel/Judah - Jerusalem, a multitude of ancient Israelite/Judean cities, and even specific references to ancient Israelite/Judean kings or royalties.

Why did 10-15 ancient civilizations make a direct reference to our 4000 year old Jewish history in Israel if we Jews are supposedly "foreign occupiers" in Israel?

2), Richard Gere, if Jews are "occupiers" in Israel, then why does the Bible and the Koran, dozens of archaeological excavations and historical records of 10-15 ancient civilizations mention us by name in our physical ancestral homeland of Israel? The Bible describes an ancient ethnic peope residing in Israel, Judea and Samaria. Are they "Palestinians" or are they Israelites/Judeans? Open up your Bible and start reading.

3) If Jews are "foreign" in Judea and Samaria, then where do they Jews originally come from? The Moon? Mars? Ah, let me guess: Poland, Ukraine and Russia? So why aren't these lands called Judah or Israel, why haven't they any Jewish majority population and why is it that historical records say that the history of the Jews in Eastern Europe goes back 1000 years, and but 4000 years in Israel?

4) Why is "Palestine" a ROMAN/LATIN name?

5) Why is there no letter "p" in Arabic?

6) Most "Palestinians" didn't consider themselves as such until after the Six Day War in 1967. Prior to the 1967 Six Day War, the Arabs of Judea & Samaria and Gaza respectively, were referring to themselves as JORDANIANS and EGYPTIANS, Why?

7) Most of the "Palestinians" who supposedly have lived in Israel since "time immemorial" came to Israel between the 1880s and the 1940s. A large chunk of their "native Palestinian" population" sat their foot in Israel/British Mandate of Palestine in the 1930s and the 1940s, without any prior history in the land. Why?

8) The Arabs and the Moslems have murdered, massacred and persecuted the Jews in the Arab Moslem lands for 1400 years, when there was no independent sovereign Jewish State of Israel, and when Jews were living in exile. Why?

9) The Arab world rejected Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state PRIOR to 1967, and attacked Israel THREE TIMES in 1948, 1956 and 1967, PRIOR to a single Israeli soldier and civilian being physically present inside Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Why?

10) Israel has offered the Arabs what they officially claim they want - Judea, Samaria and Gaza on at least 8-10 occasions, and the Arabs turned down Israel's land for peace proposals every single time. Why?

11) The "Palestinians" are actually Arab speaking Moslems and Christians of Kurdish, Iranian, Turkish, Afghan, Tartar, Sudanese, Somalian, Egyptian, African, North African, German, Italian, Greek, Bosnian and Albanian descent who arrived in Israel/British Mandate of Palestine/Turkish Province of Syria between the 1880s and the 1940s. How can you claim they are "natives", let alone "Palestinians" or even "Arabs"?

12) For the past 1400 years, the Arab speaking population of mainly Kurdish, Turkish, Iranian, Jewish, African and Berber descent, lived in multi-cultural Mid Eastern empires. The nation state is alien to Arabs in general and the "Palestinians" in particular. Why?
15. The director & his "Star" deserve each other.
(03.11.17)
16. Richard Gere the Buddhist supporter of Tibet and...
Alexander ,   Tel Aviv   (03.11.17)
...Dalai Lama should know that

1) The Jews are the native population of Israel just like the Tibetans are the natives of Tibet, and

2) Dalai Lama admires the Jews for preserving their civilization despite having lived in exile for almost 2000 years.

So why can Richard Gere support the native Tibetan population's native historical rights to Tibet, and oppose China's oppression of them, but he cannot support the native Jewish population's historical rights to Israel and oppose the Arab empires' illegal claims to Israel?
17. Occupation - why are we accepting this lie
Tova   (03.13.17)
It is not Richard who is mistaken. He is saying what western journalists and Israeli and Jews have been saying for too many years. It is western democracy that is responsible for being brain washed by the Islamic world is using the word occupation. Israel and Jews must refrain from using occupation, but we did not stop this word from our own Israeli TV. We all know the palenstians have to claim to the land. We must teach Jews all the overworld the palenstians have no claim and it is the Palenstian propaganda that western democracys are believing. The United States will not support Israel regardless of who is president. Trump is way better than Obama and the Clintons. Trump will not solve the problem. No American president will solve the problem
18. #1 I disagree terrible actor terrible person
BBB   (03.19.17)
this poor old has been couldn't act his way out of the bath room!
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