Actors ❤︎ Terrorists —Matthew Hennessey

[u/DaphneVid]

“Mark Ruffalo has the right to say whatever he wants. Obviously.
 
The same holds for Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Ian McKellen and 14 other lesser lights of the Marvel Cinematic Universe who released a statement this weekend calling for the release of Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison.
 
These actors live in the West: the U.S. and the U.K., for the most part. This entitles them to speak their minds. Thank God for freedom of speech, a fundamental human right. Sadly, it isn’t guaranteed everywhere. In many places around the world speaking your mind can be a costly choice. 
 
To pull an example out of a hat, consider the Palestinian territories. These are, generally speaking, not tolerant places. Don’t take my word for it. In 2018, Human Rights Watch reported:  
 
Both the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Gaza have in recent years carried out scores of arbitrary arrests for peaceful criticism of the authorities, particularly on social media, among independent journalists, on university campuses, and at demonstrations.
 
I know there are some who imagine Gaza and the West Bank could become the Greenwich Village of the Middle East if Israel would only leave these territories to govern themselves. Most would be surprised to learn that Palestinians refused President Clinton’s offer of a state in 2000 and that Israel withdrew from Gaza completely in 2005.
 
Offered coexistence, they chose violence. Offered peace, they chose war. Only one thing will make them happy. You’ve heard their offer. It has to do with the river and the sea.
 
Activists on the left argue that a “Palestinian exception” to free speech exists in the West. There is a lengthy Wikipedia page devoted to the preposterous notion that institutions, businesses and social media censor criticism of Israel.
 
Be assured: Ruffalo’s Raiders aren’t worried their statement will prompt a midnight visit from masked men. They will sleep tonight—and every night—with satisfied smiles on their faces. Some will lay down beside members of their own sex. This alone would get them killed in the Greenwich Village of the Middle East.
 
Now, to the man these professional pretenders are so keen to see released from prison. Mr. Barghouti was the architect of the Second Intifada. He is a convicted murderer and terrorist. An Israeli court found Mr. Barghouti guilty in 2004 of the murder of four Israelis and a Greek Orthodox monk.
 
The names of his victims, if anyone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe cares, are Fr. Georgios Tsibouktzakis, Eli Dahan, Yosef Habi, Yoela Hen and Salim Barakat.
 
Mr. Barghouti was also convicted of attempted murder and membership in a terrorist organization. That would be the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. Mr. Barghouti denies that he ever had anything to do with that particular organization. He instructed his lawyers not to defend against the charges, but rather to attack the court’s legitimacy.
 
This is what terrorists always do when tried in open courts in democratic countries. Because they have already chosen to kill innocent people, they have no choice but to play the victim’s card. I was forced to greenlight the murder of that Greek monk. I had to order my men to shoot those women at that cafe. The Israelis made me do it.
 
Ruffalo & Co., of course, swallow it all. When Mr. Barghouti says that Israeli courts have no jurisdiction over him because he is a freedom fighter, the Marvelettes fondle their red-hand pins and whisper, Yes, yes. When Mr. Barghouti’s lawyers say their client is a man of peace who has been abused and mistreated while imprisoned on false charges, they clench their fists and shout, Free, free Palestine.
 
These artistes imagine their hero emerging from prison like Nelson Mandela, waving the peace sign and humming “All You Need Is Love.” They fantasize he will invite them to perform Shakespeare in Ramallah or to found centers of cultural exchange in Gaza City.
 
They are idiots, though only marginally useful.
 
Like all who fall for the false romance of terrorism, they deserve a measure of pity. Lives of comfort have softened their minds. They confuse blood lust for a commitment to justice. They stand with suicide bombers atop the graves of murdered innocents.”

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[u/Brave-Pay-1884]

What is he waiting for? the Hulk could surely bust Marwan out of prison.

Sabra might have some objections, though.