The Screenwriters Guild of Israel called out the Writers Guild of America for remaining silent to disclose a consensus statement condemning the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel.
WGA has faced criticisms for failing to collaborate with SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America to denounce the Hamas attacks.
Screenwriters Guild of Israel Criticizes WGA
SGI released a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter, of their disappointment with WGA for not taking a stand on the recent Hamas attacks on Sunday.
"It is a damn shame that a professional writers' guild decides to withhold words. To keep utterly silent. To not take a stand. Well, your silence is considered a stand, picking a side. A shame," the Israeli Screenwriters Guild wrote on X.
SGI said that WGA's silence is loud and clear, completely contrasted by the blasting support their guild and members requested.
Some guild members gathered over Zoom on Friday afternoon to voice their frustrations about WGA's silence. David Kohan, co-creator of "Will and Grace," said in an interview with TheWrap that the WGA"s silence is either cowardice or something worse.
According to TheWrap, WGA will not release a statement about the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. WGA West Coast president Meredith Stiehm said in a memo, "we found consensus out of reach."
Stiehm explained that emails were sent to the guild members, asking the guild to take a public stand on events in the Middle East. However, many members have asked the guild to refrain from releasing statements about the attacks.
She added that the guild members clarified to the WGA board and leadership that any feedback recognized as a statement of support for Israel would be interpreted as support for Israel's airstrikes in Gaza.
Hollywood Screenwriters Support SGI
Hollywood screenwriters such as Jeni Kohan, Jerry Seinfeld, Eli Roth, and Amy Sherman-Palladino sent an open letter to the WGA board, calling them out for not voicing their support of Israel on October 15.
Furthermore, a previous open letter was also signed by Gal Gadot, Jamie Lee Curtis, Chris Pine, Mayim Bialik, Liev Schreiber, Amy Schumer, and Michael Douglas from the nonprofit organization Creative Community for Peace. The letter supported Israel and condemned the Hamas' attack on Israel, as reported in TheWrap.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles also issued a statement condemning WGA's silence, highlighting that the guild has spoken up about other politically sensitive issues but stayed silent about the terrorist attacks.
"But when terrorists invaded Israel to murder, rape, and kidnap Jews, the Guild stayed silent," the center stated in The NY Times.
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