by Jeroslyn JoVonn
October 31, 2023
Drake has come under fire for his apparent silence on the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the Jewish-born rapper has joined other A-list stars and called for a ceasefire.
Drake has come under fire for his apparent silence on the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But the Jewish-born rapper has joined other A-list stars and called for a ceasefire.
The Grammy-winning rapper joined celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Killer Mike, Dua Lipa, Lena Waithe, Vic Mensa, Miguel and many others in signing the Artists4Ceasefire letter calling on President Joe Biden and Congress to join Israel and Hamas bring themselves to an end to their current war, reports Billboard.
“We call on your government and all world leaders to honor all lives in the Holy Land and to immediately demand and facilitate a ceasefire – an end to the bombing of Gaza and the safe release of the hostages,” the letter said Part.
Other signatories to the letter include Adam Lambert, Michael Stipe, Caroline Polachek, Kaytranada, Macklemore, Cate Blanchett, Joaquin Phoenix, John Cusack and others. The letter commemorates the thousands of lives lost in the ongoing war waged over the past three weeks.
“More than 5,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half – a number that every person in conscience knows is catastrophic. “We believe that all life is sacred, regardless of faith or ethnicity, and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians,” the letter continued.
“Half of Gaza’s two million residents are children, and more than two-thirds are refugees and their descendants forced to leave their homes. Humanitarian aid must be made available to them.”
The letter comes weeks after another letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and humanitarian aid in the region, Variety reports. The letter from Artists for Palestine UK was signed by British stars including Tilda Swinton, Charles Dance, Steve Coogan, Miriam Margolyes, Michael Winterbottom, Mike Leigh and Asif Kapadia. The letter criticized the British government for “not only tolerating war crimes but also aiding and abetting them.”
Drake and DJ Khaled have been criticized for not making a public statement on the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Earlier this month, Drake’s father Dennis Graham claimed his son would face harsher backlash if he spoke out publicly.
“If you say something about this issue you will be criticized, and if you say something about someone else you will be criticized,” Graham told TMZ.
According to Drake’s father, it’s best for his superstars like his son to “stay out of it.” Especially if you’re someone who’s well-known, but if you’re a celebrity and you say something that favors one person over the other, then it’s going to come back to haunt you.”
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