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 Two U.S.-based groups campaigning for an end to Israel's
occupation of the Palestinian Territories made the plea in a
full-page ad in the Los Angeles Times that appeared five days
before the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday.
"#SkipTheTrip. Don't endorse Israeli apartheid," said the ad,
sponsored by the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and
Jewish Voice for Peace.
The ad said the trip, which is partially paid for by the Israeli
government, was part of a larger "'Brand Israel' strategy to
distract from almost 50 years of illegal occupation of
Palestinian land."
"As was the case many years ago in South Africa, celebrities are
being asked to refrain from whitewashing apartheid policies,"
Yousef Munayyer, executive director of the U.S. Campaign to End
the Israeli Occupation, said in a statement on Wednesday.
The trip is one of the most expensive items in a swag bag handed
out to the five Oscar-nominated directors and 20 lead and
supporting actor and actress nominees, including Leonardo
DiCaprio, Sylvester Stallone, Mark Rylance, Cate Blanchett,
Jennifer Lawrence, Matt Damon and Kate Winslet.
The gift bag is not affiliated with the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences, which organizes the Oscars.
The Academy last week filed a lawsuit against Los Angeles-based
Distinctive Assets accusing the gifting group of promoting the
bag as official Oscars swag.
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The Israeli government earlier this month confirmed it was funding
$15,000 to $18,000 of each 10-day trip as a means of offsetting news
coverage of the country's troubles.
"These are the most senior people in the film industry in Hollywood
and leading opinion-formers who we are interested in hosting," said
Israeli Tourism Minister Yariv Levin. "They will experience the
country first-hand and not through the media."
It was not immediately known whether any of the Oscar-nominated
directors, actors and actresses will take up the offer, which must
be declared to U.S. tax authorities.
"Creed" supporting actor Stallone signed a pro-Israel petition
during the 2104 Gaza war, while "Bridge of Spies" nominee Rylance
has signed a petition circulated by Artists for Palestine UK which
calls for a cultural boycott of Israel.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant, editing by G Crosse)
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