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Oprah expressed support for the victim of October 7 but didn't call for a ceasefire or called out Israel for its human rights violations. She ignored the BDS movement when they urged her to boycott an Israeli jeweler and pledged to visit Israel.
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In an article published by Oprah on OprahDaily in 2023, she wrote about October 7th with a huge emphasis on the plight of Israeli’s and only mentioned Palestine — more accurately, Gaza — as an after-thought and without mentioning who was causing the death of innocent civillians; further sanitising Israel’s role in the 75+ years of brutal ethnic cleansing, occupation and systemic targeting of Palestinians. [1]
Despite never actually making what Oprah described as a ‘pilgrimage’ to Israel, during an awards acceptance speech she claimed she would take him up on his offer and also stated she ‘sympathised with suffering of the people of Israel’ — once again erasing the plight of Palestinians and instead centring their occupiers. [2]
When a BDS delegation arrived at her magazine’s New York offices urging her to denounce Lev Leviev’s products due to allegations of human rights abuses and land theft in Palestine, she actively ignored their presence. Despite having adorned Leviev diamonds on the 15th anniversary cover of O magazine’s May issue, neither Oprah nor her team entertained the BDS allegations, refusing to meet with the protesters or even accept their letter. [3]
BDS Boycott:
The BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement is a global campaign which follows the worldwide boycott movement that led to the successful dismantling of apartheid in South Africa and therefore advocates for various sustained forms of boycott against Israel until it complies with international law.
Founded as a response to the rampant, ongoing and systemic dispossession, displacement, and disenfranchisement endured by generations of Palestinians, the BDS movement is in direct response to the relentless expansion of Israeli settlements, the imposition of discriminatory laws and the denial of basic rights to millions living under occupation, apartheid or in exile with no right of return.
Central to the ethos of BDS is the belief that every purchase and action carries a weighty moral responsibility. To buy goods from or actively support companies or organizations on the BDS list is to cast a vote in favor of perpetuating injustice, a tacit endorsement of the status quo of occupation and discrimination. It’s a direct violation of the collective conscience, a betrayal of the fundamental principles of human rights and dignity.
By pressuring Israel and its supporters by withdrawing support and capital, humanity aims to bring awareness to — and ultimately — end the occupation of Palestine, grant equal rights to all Palestinians and recognize the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes. This pressure also extends to any individuals and entities found to be complicit in the normalization, funding or support of Israel’s brutal occupation and 75+ years of ethnic cleansing of Palestinians.
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