Angelina Jolie: Pretty but not particularly intelligent

Angelina Jolie, the famous actress and self-styled humanitarian, has been vocal about the crisis in Gaza.

Yesterday (Sunday), Jolie posted an Instagram story sharing a Doctors Without Borders report that labeled Gaza a “mass grave for Palestinians and those helping them.” The report criticized Israel’s military operations, civilian displacement, and restricted aid, urging an end to the blockade. Jolie backed the call to protect aid workers, emphasizing Gaza’s suffering.

She made a similar point in November 2023, after Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp. In an Instagram post, she wrote, “Gaza has been an open air prison for nearly two decades and is fast becoming a mass grave. 40% of those killed are innocent children. Whole families are being murdered.” She slammed Israel’s bombing of civilians and said world leaders weren’t pushing for a ceasefire.

While her comments stem from years of advocacy for refugees, they don't impress me much (or at all, if I'm being honest). Just because she’s a movie star doesn’t make her an authority on the Israel Gaza conflict, and her one-sided focus has left many feeling she’s dismissed Israel’s legitimate security concerns.

Jolie’s comments on Hamas’s October 7 attack are minimal, and that’s a sore point for Israel’s defenders. In October 2023, she briefly condemned the attack, saying, “What happened in Israel is an act of terror.”

But she quickly pivoted to Gaza, arguing the attack didn’t justify bombing civilians there, where 2 million people, half children, live under a blockade since 2007. She’s said nothing specific about the rapes, murders, arson, pillaging, or kidnapping of babies, nor has she addressed the 59 hostages still held in Gaza. This silence has angered many, who see her focus on Gaza as ignoring the trauma of Israeli families, including those still praying for their loved ones’ return.

Jolie’s Humanitarian Credentials Don’t Make Her an Expert

Jolie’s advocacy draws on her 20 years with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), where she’s visited crisis zones like Syria and Iraq, focusing on displacement. She’s donated to groups like Doctors Without Borders and called for peace, saying both Palestinian and Israeli lives matter. But being a movie star with a humanitarian resume doesn’t make her an authority on the Israel Gaza conflict. Her limited comment on October 7, paired with her heavy criticism of Israel, has led critics to question her grasp of the situation, especially when she overlooks Hamas’s role as a terrorist group bent on Israel’s destruction.

How People Are Reacting

Jolie’s statements have stirred strong reactions:

Israel’s supporters, including Jewish communities, are frustrated. Social media users in 2023 called her out for skipping over Hamas’s atrocities, saying her posts tilt against Israel.

Her own father, Jon Voight, a staunch Israel advocate, publicly blasted her views as “ignorant” in July 2024, accusing her of being swayed by biased sources.

A Bar Ilan University professor urged her to support Israel’s fight against Hamas, likening it to the Allies’ battle against Nazis for lasting peace.

Many Israelis and their allies wish she’d condemn Hamas’s actions more clearly, including the rapes, murders, and ongoing hostage crisis. They argue her posts lack balance, focusing on Gaza’s plight while barely acknowledging the October 7 massacre.

Jolie’s platform gives her a huge reach, so her “mass grave” comment keeps Gaza’s suffering in the headlines, pushing for aid and a ceasefire. But her near silence on Hamas’s October 7 atrocities, the rapes, murders, arson, pillaging, and the 59 hostages still held, has alienated many who see Israel as fighting for its survival.

Even her father’s public rebuke shows how her stance divides even those close to her. As a celebrity, her views carry weight but lack the nuance, understanding or breadth of knowledge needed to fully address this conflict.

Sources: Instagram posts, Doctors Without Borders, Gaza Health Ministry, X posts, UNHCR records, news reports.