Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list<\/p>\n
Paramount responded by accusing Ruffalo of invoking \u201canti-Semitic tropes\u201d, saying references to \u201cgenocide\u201d and \u201capartheid\u201d in connection with a corporate transaction went \u201ca bridge too far\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ruffalo rejected the Paramount allegation as \u201cappalling and fundamentally dishonest\u201d, arguing that criticism of Israeli government policy, military technology contracts, and the executives involved was not criticism of Jewish people.<\/p>\n
Experts say the Ruffalo-Paramount controversy is one of countless examples of a longstanding problem \u2013 that accusations of anti-Semitism are increasingly being used to discredit criticism of Israel, particularly as public opinion in the United States becomes more critical of the country\u2019s conduct in Gaza.<\/p>\n
The controversy<\/p>\n
Ruffalo, on August 21, shared an old clip on his Instagram story of Oracle Executive Vice Chair Safra Catz, proudly highlighting the company\u2019s work to support Israel following the Hamas-led October 2023 attack on southern Israel, claiming the California-based tech company helped \u201cadvance the agenda for the Israeli military\u201d during its genocide in Gaza.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have some really profoundly scary technology at Oracle and we wanted to make sure that it was available for the effort,\u201d Catz said.<\/p>\n
Ruffalo went on to criticise Catz, accusing her of revelling in \u201cgenocide\u201d committed by what he called an \u201capartheid system of oppression powered by Oracle\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom one of the biggest tech companies in the world. Powering some of the most destructive and inhuman forces in the world. Why has Trump pushed this illegal merger through?\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cMergers like this are almost always bad for workers, consumers, and the industry they tend to dominate.\u201d<\/p>\n
The staunchly pro-Israel Simon Wiesenthal Center CEO, Jim Berk, denounced Ruffalo\u2019s comment as \u201ca textbook case of obsession and demonisation\u201d of Jews, while another Israel supporter, Anti-Defamation League head Jonathan Greenblatt, labelled the statement \u201ccynical and sickening\u201d.<\/p>\n
Ruffalo later clarified that his \u201cviews come from my own political convictions and should never be interpreted as hostility toward Jewish people\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Avengers star is among many Hollywood actors who have criticised the merger.<\/p>\n
In April, more than 1,400 figures from the film industry \u2013 among them prominent Hollywood actors and directors such as Ben Stiller and Emma Thompson \u2013 signed a letter coming out against the proposed merger between Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis transaction would further consolidate an already concentrated media landscape, reducing competition at a moment when our industries \u2013 and the audiences we serve \u2013 can least afford it,\u201d the letter said.<\/p>\n
\u2018Irrational double standard\u2019<\/p>\n
Zachary Foster, a Jewish historian of Palestine, described the anti-Semitism accusation against Ruffalo as \u201ca totally nonsensical, irrational double standard\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you attack Israel, you\u2019re anti-Semitic, but if you attack any other country in the world, you\u2019re not accused of being bigoted towards that country\u2019s professed religious identity,\u201d he told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n
The US historian and founder of Palestine Nexus, <\/strong>an online platform dedicated to Palestine-focused education, research and original reporting, said it was \u201cvery important\u201d to make the connection between the Ellison family\u2019s ongoing consolidation of main media assets \u2013 including the US version of TikTok and CBS \u2013 and their close links with the Israeli military.<\/p>\n \u201cThis has nothing to do with trying to make a quick buck,\u201d Foster noted, adding that the goal is political.<\/p>\n \u201cThis wave that we\u2019re witnessing in the United States, in Europe, and around the world, of more and more criticism of Israel \u2026 he\u2019s [Larry Ellison] trying to reverse the tide,\u201d Foster pointed out, a reference to dwindling support for Israel across the political spectrum in many Western nations.<\/p>\n In October, Paramount-Skydance acquired the commentary website The Free Press, naming its pro-Israel and conservative founder Bari Weiss<\/a> as editor-in-chief of CBS News.<\/p>\n Larry Ellison himself has been a key funder of the Friends of the Israeli army, contributing $16.6m in 2017 alone, saying there was \u201cno greater honour than supporting some of the bravest people in the world\u201d.<\/p>\n Long history of accusations<\/p>\n Ruffalo is not the first prominent critic of Israel to face accusations of anti-Semitism, with experts pointing out that such allegations have long been used to suppress pro-Palestinian voices and criticism of Israel in the US and beyond.<\/p>\n \u201cAmericans are beginning to recognise that anti-Semitism allegations are frequently misused to shut down criticism of Israel, but many people are unaware this strategy has a long history,\u201d Jenin Younes, legal director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n She pointed to the cases of renowned US-based academics Norman Finkelstein and Steven Salaita, who she said faced \u201cgrave professional consequences\u201d due to their outspoken criticism of Israel\u2019s treatment of Palestinians. Finkelstein and Salaita were denied tenure and a job offer, respectively, shutting out from full-time teaching in the US.<\/p>\n Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon and Scream star Melissa Barrera were dropped by their respective agencies following their comments against Israel\u2019s genocide in Gaza. YouTuber and children\u2019s educator Ms Rachel also came under fire after she consistently spoke out about children being killed and starved in the coastal enclave amid ongoing Israeli attacks and siege.<\/p>\n \u201cThe primary means is by contorting civil rights law by conflating anti-Israel or anti-Zionist speech with anti-Semitism,\u201d Younes added.<\/p>\n Palestinian-American political analyst Yousef Munayyer, echoing Younes\u2019s sentiments, said over the previous decade, the Israeli government and its supporters decided to go on \u201cthe attack against Israeli critics \u2013 shifting from defence to offence\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThey believe that simply defending their policies is no longer effective. It\u2019s very hard to defend apartheid and genocide, for example,\u201d Munayyer told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is much more effective in terms of controlling the narrative to try to go after the critics. And they\u2019ve done this in a very wide variety of ways, but accusing their critics of anti-Semitism is one of the oldest tactics.\u201d<\/p>\n Another major tactic of many pro-Israel groups to \u201cdistract\u201d from criticism of Israel is to attack Muslims and play up the so-called \u201cthreat of Islam\u201d, Palestinian Nexus founder Foster said.<\/p>\n
![\"Protesters](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/AP25186605532669-1768095009.jpg\")
Protesters gather outside the Manhattan federal court in support of Mahmoud Khalil, in New York, US [File: Stefan Jeremiah\/AP Photo]<\/p>\n