Cruz, Bardem call Israeli op ‘genocide’

Hollywood power couple Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem are just two of the Spanish film stars and directors to add their names to a harsh denunciation of Israel’s operation in Gaza, calling the operation “a genocide.”

Cruz and Bardem, as well as acclaimed Spanish director Pedro Almodovar and dozens of other artists from the country, signed their names to an open letter castigating Israel’s three-week incursion into the Gaza Strip, whose aim is to stop ceaseless rocket fire from Gaza onto Israeli civilians as well as rout out dozens of cross-border terror tunnels.

The situation in Gaza, the letter says, “is difficult to understand and impossible to justify. And it’s shameful that the Western stance is to allow such a genocide.”

The letter was published in a number of Spanish newspapers. It also called for Israel to lift its blockage on Gaza and accused the international community of sitting idly by while the citizens of Gaza were subjected to destruction, lack of access to water and electricity, and restricted movement.

It made no mention of the actions of Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization, firing thousands of rockets at Israeli citizens and plotting and executing kidnappings. It also failed to mention the fact that Gaza’s border with Egypt also remains sealed.