UNICEF UK star ambassadors’ Israel-Hamas war stances as less than 50% publicly back ceasefire calls
Almost 50% of UNICEF UK’s celebrity ambassadors have been completely silent online regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestine, despite the organisation calling for a ceasefire, the release of Israeli hostages and launching an appeal for the children of Gaza.
Just two of the household names listed as high-profile celebrity supporters on UNICEF UK’s website have signed letters by either Artists For Ceasefire or Artists For Palestine, amid the International Court of Justice declaring that Israel may have committed some acts of genocide, with just a handful using their social media accounts to raise awareness of UNICEF’s UK ‘Protect Children in the Gaza crisis’ fundraiser.
Four famous UNICEF UK ambassadors have added their name to the #NoHostageLeftBehind letter, which calls on President Biden not to call for a ceasefire but instead do all he can to secure the safe return of Israeli hostages captured by Hamas on 7th October. “We urge everyone to not rest until all hostages are released,” an extract of the letter signed by four UNICEF UK ambassadors reads.
UNICEF lists 25 British celebrities as its UK ambassadors on its website, in addition to David Beckham, Orlando Bloom, Vanessa Redgrave and Muzoon Almellehan acting as Goodwill ambassadors, but almost half of the organisation’s high-profile supporters are yet to share a post from UNICEF UK with their millions of followers regarding the organisation’s current flagship appeal.
SILENT UNICEF UK AMBASSADORS – YET TO SAY OR SIGN ANYTHING
David Beckham
David Beckham, who has 86.7m Instagram followers, is yet to back calls for a ceasefire on social media (
Image:
ICC via Getty Images)
UNICEF Goodwill ambassador David Beckham handed over control of his Instagram account to a Ukrainian doctor working in the city of Kharkiv in March 2022, to highlight how Russia’s invasion was impacting the country’s pregnant women and children.The same month, the football legend and his wife Victoria Beckham donated £1 million to a UNICEF appeal to support Ukrainian children affected by the devastating conflict.
But when it comes to the Middle East, Beckham – who was a Qatar 2022 World Cup ambassador – has been less explicit regarding where he stands when it comes to the plight of Palestinian people. In November, the former England captain was flooded with comments asking him to speak out for Gaza as he shared several posts about a visit to India with UNICEF but has so far remained silent on the conflict following the pleas from his followers. The Mirror has approached David’s representatives for comment.
Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams is yet to share any permanent posts from UNICEF UK regarding Palestine or Israel across any of his social media channels. The Angels singer, who is the mastermind behind Soccer Aid for UNICEF, last shared a Facebook post connected to UNICEF and its appeal for Libya in September.
The dad-of-four, who performed in Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park in June last year, faced criticism in 2022 thanks to performing a Soccer Aid game, which was aimed at helping Ukraine war victims, despite previously making cash from Russian oligarchs. Robbie has supported UNICEF UK since 1998 and was instrumental in launching Soccer Aid in the UK in 2006. The Mirror has approached Robbie’s representatives for comment.
Tom Hiddleston
Loki actor Tom Hiddleston, who hasn’t posted on social media since 2021, is yet to make any form of public statement regarding the horrors unfolding in the Middle East. Tom, who has been involved with UNICEF since 2015, hasn’t yet signed any open letters calling for a ceasefire – much to the disappointment of his fanbase.
One fan of Marvel star – was among the star-studded line-up of celebrities that read poetry at the National Theatre as part of a Ukraine fundraiser in March last year- wrote on Twitter (X) in January: “I was a huge fan of Tom Hiddleston and he’s part of UNICEF and hasn’t said one word about Palestine. We know celebs aren’t beacons of morals but you really can’t trust anyone. I’ll even go as far to say that the more they talk about human rights the less they actively do about it.”The Mirror has approached Tom’s representatives for comment.
Others
Other UNICEF UK ambassadors yet to publicly speak out regarding the conflict, sign any open letters or share permanent posts relating to UNICEF’s ‘Protect Children in the Gaza crisis’ appeal include; Cat Deeley, Charley Boorman, Claudia Schiffer, David Harewood, Lord David Puttnam, Dermot O’Leary, Emma Bunton, James Nesbitt, Jessie Ware and Martin Bell.
The Mirror reached out to UNICEF UK for comment on this story. A UNICEF UK spokeswoman said on Friday: “We are very grateful to our diverse range of Ambassadors and High-Profile Supporters who support us and advocate for our work for children in the UK and around the world – including for our work helping the children in Gaza.
“They do this both publicly and privately at different times throughout the year and in a variety of different ways, for example through private advocacy and donations, supporting our humanitarian emergency appeals, to our work in the UK campaigning for a Baby and Toddler Guarantee, or our annual fundraising events such as Soccer Aid for UNICEF.
“Many of our Ambassadors and High-Profile Supporters (for those with public channels) have regularly shared social media content produced by UNICEF about Gaza and which consistently calls for the release of all hostages, for a ceasefire, for wider humanitarian access and for the public to help support our fundraising appeal. We are thankful for this public support as well the many ways they support us privately and behind the scenes.”
UNICEF UK AMBASSADORS THAT SUPPORT #NOHOSTAGELEFTBEHIND
Rita Ora
The Masked Singer star has millions of followers on Instagram but is yet to share any posts from UNICEF UK (
Image:
Getty Images for Luisa Via Roma)
Rita Ora and her husband Taika Waititi both signed the #NoHostageLeftBehind letter in October, which called on American president Joe Biden to ensure all Israelis taken hostage on 7th October by Hamas – the military organisation governing the Gaza Strip of the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories – are returned home safely.
The UNICEF UK Ambassador, who has supported the organisation since 2013, is yet to sign any open letters calling for a ceasefire, nor has the singer shared any posts related to the ‘Protect Children in the Gaza crisis’ appeal with her 16.1million followers on her Instagram grid.
Orlando Bloom
Orlando Bloom, who currently has an emergency UNICEF appeal for Libya fundraiser link in his Instagram bio, also signed the #NoHostageLeftBehind open letter last year. The Lord of the Rings actor’s name does not appear on the Artists Call For Ceasefire letter, nor has he signed any letters published by Artists For Palestine UK.
The British actor – who was made a Goodwill ambassador in 2009 – was criticised in November thanks to leaving a trio of love-heart emojis underneath Amy Schumer’s Instagram post explaining her pro-Israel regarding the war. Amy has been widely condemned by many pro-Palestinian activists for her vocal support of Israel online – with Martin Luther King’s daughter calling Amy out for using her father’s speech about the evil of antisemitism without also acknowledging his history of challenging white supremacy and advocating for peace.
The actor posing with Yehor, 8, holding a Ukrainian flag signed by Orlando, in Demydiv, Ukraine last year (
Image:
© UNICEF/UN0820049/Skyba)
Prior to liking and commenting on Amy’s divise posts, Orlando shared a post from UNICEF UK on 8th October, with an extract of the regram reading: “UNICEF calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities, and for all parties to protect children from harm and afford them the special protection to which they are entitled, in accordance with their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
The following week, Orlando told his 7.2million Instagram followers: “As a father and someone who cares deeply for the children of the world, I’m praying for the children who have no understanding of borders or countries and only want to live in peace and happiness with their families. I’ve seen the impact war has on children, sadly. It’s beyond heartbreaking. The terror created by Hamas must be stopped. To my friends affected by this hostile violence, in both Israel and Gaza and the wider State of Palestine, I am haunted by what I am seeing. The suffering needs to stop. The killing needs to stop. I don’t have the words…we can only pray for the safety and best interests of children on both sides of this conflict – who deserve to live a life of peace, without fear.”
Trudie Styler
Trudie Styler, along with her husband Sting, both signed the #NoHostageLeftBehind letter in October. Trudie, who was appointed as a UNICEF UK Ambassador in July 2004, is yet to publicly call for a ceasefire on social media, nor has she signed any Artists For Palestine or Artists For Ceasefire open letters.
Trudie received the highest accolade bestowed on a UNICEF Ambassador – the Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award – in November 2005 for her commitment to UNICEF. The English film producer has previously used social media to raise awareness of how the people of Ukraine are suffering due to Russia’s ongoing invasion, with a highlight section titled ‘UKRAINE’ still pinned as a Story highlight on her Instagram page.
UNICEF UK AMBASSADORS CALLING FOR A CEASEFIRE
Olivia Colman
The Oscar winner is one of the high-profile signatures on the Artists For Palestine letter
Olivia Colman first became involved with UNICEF in 2015, when she joined its New Year’s Eve campaign for children affected by the conflict in Syria, and became UNICEF UK’s President in 2020. Taking her role seriously, Olivia has made her stance clear when it comes to what is happening in Palestine.
The Oscar winner doesn’t have any public social media accounts but led a collective of 1,300 artists signing an open letter accusing cultural institutions across Western countries of “repressing, silencing and stigmatising Palestinian voices and perspectives” in November.
Olivia joined the likes of BAFTA winning Sex Education actress Aimee Lou Wood, The Crown actress Amir El-Masry and Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, who all warned in the letter by Artists For Palestine that Western countries are “repressing, silencing and stigmatising Palestinian voices and perspectives”, which they say includes “targeting and threatening the livelihoods of artists and arts workers who express solidarity with Palestinians, as well as cancelling performances, screenings, talks, exhibitions and book launches.”
Michael Sheen
Michael Sheen has not only used his platform to promote social media posts for UNICEF UK regarding the Middle East crisis, but also spoken at length about his desire for a ceasefire. The Welsh actor, who began supporting UNICEF UK in 2010 when he took part in Soccer Aid for UNICEF and he became an Ambassador in October 2014, took to Twitter (X) last year to explain his stance to his 727,100 followers.
“On a day where those who have wished the same things and been punished for it my thoughts are with the Israeli hostages and their families and hoping for their safe release and with all the Palestinian families in Gaza and hoping for an immediate ceasefire,” Michael wrote on 30th October.
In additional tweets, the Masters of Sex actor continued: “I’ve got no time for people telling me I need to do research or it’s shameful of me or any of the rest of that patronizing bulls**t. I’ve always wanted a free Palestine and an Israel that can live in peace too no matter how complicated the politics of that is. What Hamas did is horrific. What Netanyahu is doing is horrific. If a call for compassion for innocent people suffering on both sides brings such vitriol then that’s a shame. Standing with innocent people is not neutral.”
Michael later went on to tell his followers: “I’m not blocking people for saying free Palestine – I just said it myself – I’m blocking people for making the kind of assumptions or behaviour that I don’t tolerate in the rest of my life. You do you but do it without following me.”
Ewan McGregor
The Scottish actor has signed both the #NoHostageLeftBehind and the Artists For Ceasefire letter (
Image:
PA)
Ewan McGregor, who has supported UNICEF UK since 2004, has signed two letters regarding the Israel-Hamas war over recent months. Like his fellow UNICEF UK ambassador Rita and Goodwill ambassador Orlando, Ewan put his name to the #NoHostageLeftBehind letter to President Biden in October but – unlike Rita and Orlando – has also backed calls for a ceasefire.
The Scottish actor, alongside the likes of Andrew Garfield, Jennifer Lopez and Zayn Malik, is listed as signing the Artists Call For Ceasefire letter, with an extract of the open letter to President Biden reading: “Beyond our pain and mourning for all of the people there and their loved ones around the world we are motivated by an unbending will to stand for our common humanity. We stand for freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all people – and a deep desire to stop more bloodshed. We refuse to tell future generations the story of our silence, that we stood by and did nothing. As Emergency Relief Chief Martin Griffiths told UN News, ‘History is watching’.”
Gemma Chan
Gemma Chan has supported UNICEF UK since 2015 and travelled to Jamaica to raise awareness of domestic violence with the organisation in 2019. The Crazy Rich Asians actress has consistently followed UNICEF’s lead over recent months and routinely called for a ceasefire on social media.
The Captain Marvel actress not only has a link to the UNICEF UK ‘Protect Children in the Gaza crisis’ donation page in her Instagram bio, but has repeatedly shared posts and information from UNICEF UK with her 2.1million followers on both her main grid and Stories multiple times since October.
Others
Other UNICEF UK ambassadors that have used to social media to share at least one post from UNICEF UK related to its ‘Protect Children in the Gaza crisis’ appeal and/or share at least one post related to calls for a ceasefire include; Jemima Khan, Levison Wood, Sanjeev Bhaskar,Sir Chris Hoy, Muzoon Almellehan, Sir Andy Murray, Suzy Eddie Izzard and Ramla Ali.
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 1995, has long been considered an ally of Palestinian people and even produced and starred in a documentary film about the activities of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) in 1997 – selling her house in order to fund the feature titled The Palestine.
The Oscar winning actress, who said in 2007 that unless Israel totally withdrew from the Palestinian territories “the world will be in terrible, terrible trouble”, last week reportedly denounced the artists who urged organisers of the Toronto Film Festival to drop a celebration of Tel Aviv.
UNICEF UK’S STANCE
UNICEF UK’s homepage on its website is currently a link to its ‘Protect Children in the Gaza crisis’ fundraiser, with the organisation writing: “We are extremely concerned by the continuing violence in Gaza. We continue to call for a complete and immediate ceasefire and for the killing and maiming of all children to stop.”
In a FAQs section, UNICEF UK addresses possible questions regarding what it is doing to help children in Israel, with the agency of the United Nations explaining: “We are calling for the immediate cessation of hostilities, and for all parties to unconditionally protect children from harm no matter who or where they are. We are calling for the immediate and safe release of any children being held hostage in Gaza. Any children in custody of parties to the conflict should be protected, and immediately and unconditionally released.
“We are an impartial, non-political humanitarian organisation. While we continue to report on and advocate for the protection of all children in both Gaza and Israel, our humanitarian response is driven by the need. Before this renewed violence, one million children needed humanitarian aid in Gaza and the West Bank. In high-income countries such as Israel, the State usually provides the supplies and services for children that we undertake or supports in lower income countries.”
