American actress and comedian Hannah Einbinder
Afrasianet - Osama Saffar - American actress and comedian Hannah Einbinder has described her public solidarity with the Palestinians as the "bare minimum" of responsibility, stressing that what she may lose because of her positions is not comparable to the sacrifices of Palestinians and journalists who risked their lives to convey their suffering to the world. At the New Yorker Film Festival in Manhattan, Einbinder, the star of the series "Hacks," spoke about why she is committed to defending Palestine and her experience of reviewing her ideas about Israel.
Fame gives its owners the ability to make a tangible change, whether it's by bringing the public's attention to a cause or raising money to support it, she said. She added that she's already experienced this ability, so she doesn't see silence as an option, especially when it comes to Palestine. "I know how many people follow me, and I know the difference that it can make," she explained, noting that artists with wider platforms can offer more help.
Einbinder previously ended her 2025 Emmy Award winning speech by calling for a "free Palestine" and was arrested last September, along with other solidarity activists, including actress Susan Sarandon, during a protest that preceded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the United Nations.
Voice at the Emmys
The actress recalled her change of attitude after the October 7, 2023 attack, explaining that she began attending vigils organized by the IfNotNow movement with Jewish anti-Zionist friends.
Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder (Reuters)
Hannah Einbinder said she found a Jewish community in these meetings that allowed her to review what she had learned and get rid of what she described as the propaganda that people receive in a systematic way. She added that she then needed to read and gain knowledge before speaking publicly, and that she felt the need to make up for years when she was unaware of the nature of the system she was supporting or dealing with without accountability.
She linked this shift to her sense of justice, saying that what she knew made defending Palestinians an extension of her values, and prompted her to change her mindset and learn from their experiences and voices.
Einbinder singled out Al Jazeera correspondent Anas al-Sharif for the talk, recalling the impact of his coverage on her understanding of what is happening in Gaza. She said that she followed details of his life through his journalistic work, before he was assassinated by an Israeli strike in August 2025.
Israel accused him of assassinating him to silence his voice, said he risked his life to tell the truth about Israeli crimes, and invoked his family and two children, stressing that his loss makes it insignificant to talk about the professional sacrifices that artists in solidarity with Palestine may endure.
"There is nothing on earth that I can lose or sacrifice that comes close to the sacrifices of the most wonderful human beings I have ever seen in my life," she said, adding that she wanted to draw attention to journalists like Sharif and others whose voices have been silenced. "We are still here, and we have an obligation to tell their stories," she said, calling on Americans in particular to take responsibility for using their tax dollars to support Israel's war, which she described as a "genocide," and to keep talking until it stops.
Her words received a standing ovation from the crowd that filled Webster Hall, and at least one attendee stood up to express support after she spoke of the genocide.
Laughing and crying
Responding to a question about the combination of discussing painful issues with making the audience laugh, Einbinder said that both stem from her desire to connect with others, she wants to laugh with them, see their suffering and acknowledge it as well.
She was concerned about the current phase, including the dangers of climate change and artificial intelligence, but said people were giving her hope for the future. She said she saw more people rethinking the systems around them, wondering what was preventing everyone from enjoying freedom, health and safety, although she hoped that awareness would happen faster.
Einbinder's account of Anas al-Sharif is based on the fact that an Al Jazeera correspondent was killed on August 10, 2025, in an Israeli strike that targeted a tent for journalists near the main entrance to al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. Five other journalists were martyred along with him, including colleagues at the channel.
Anas and his colleagues had been covering the aftermath of shelling minutes before he was killed, and classified his targeting as a deliberate killing of journalists for their work. Sharif, a 29-year-old father of two, had previously reported to the International Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) that he had received threats demanding that he stop reporting and leave northern Gaza.
The Israeli military announced that he had been targeted, alleging ties to Hamas, but the committee said it did not consider the material published by the military to justify his accusations credible evidence. Al Jazeera rejected the accusations, calling his killing a deliberate assassination to silence coverage.
Before his death, UN rapporteur on freedom of expression, Irene Khan, had warned that unsubstantiated Israeli accusations were putting his life at risk.
Artist Positions
Einbinder's positions meet those of artists who have chosen to use their public presence to demand the protection of Palestinians. Artists for a Ceasefire brings together actors, musicians, and filmmakers who are calling for a permanent ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
Mark Ruffalo (Getty Images)
The list of signatories includes names such as Cate Blanchett, Andrew Garfield, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Cynthia Nixon, according to the initiative's official website, which asserts that lasting peace requires freedom, safety, and equal rights for Palestinians and Israelis. Susan Sarandon's experience reveals some of the professional cost of these positions, as she said at the Venice Film Festival in September 2026 that she still loses roles because of her support for the Palestinians, and that agencies are urging others not to hire her.
Announcement
This continues despite what she sees as a shift in public opinion toward Israel and U.S. support for it, which makes Einbender's talk of silence and responsibility part of a debate within the entertainment industry about freedom of expression and its limits.
The description of the war as genocide is also based on human rights reports and international investigations; Amnesty International concluded in December 2024 that there is sufficient grounds to say that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and continues to commit it.
Source: The American Press
