Two weeks ago, the New York Times ran a heavily criticised ad targeting models Bella and Gigi Hadid and singer Dua Lipa for their vocal support of Palestinian rights. Now, the Alliance for Middle East Peace has taken out a New York Times ad defending the three women.
The original advertisement was widely denounced after it described the Hadids (who are both Palestinian-American) and Lipa as anti-semitic and supporters of Hamas after they shared #FreePalestine content.
Lipa then spoke out about the ad, and about the NYT, writing on her Twitter:
“I utterly reject the false and appalling allegations that were published today in the New York Times advertisement taken out by the World Values Network.”
“This is the price you pay for defending human rights against the Israeli government whose actions in Palestine both Human Rights Watch and the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem accused of persecution and discrimination.”
Now, the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) has announced their intention to run their own full-page ad in the NYT, scheduled for this week.
The headline of the ad reads: “a full page ad in this paper should not be used to divide Jewish and Palestinian Americans.” It then details ALLMEP’s International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, and calls for donations.
ALLMEP is the largest, fastest-growing network of peacekeeping NGOs in Israel and Palestine, and is calling for the Biden administration to establish the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace at the upcoming G7 summit.
The fund’s aim is breaking down “trust barriers between Israelis and Palestinians through civic engagement and people-to-people programs”
According to John Lyndon, executive director of ALLMEP, ““The International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace is a critical tool in not only deescalating tensions right now, but building lasting peace.”
“When in the Senate, President Biden helped to deliver a fund just like this in Northern Ireland, where it helped to build the conditions for peace. In the immediate aftermath of the latest round of violence, it is critical that the Biden administration – and the entire international community – prioritize funding priorities that look toward the future.”
“At the G7, the U.S. has an opportunity to lead the world in a long-term strategy that can disrupt hate and dehumanization, and lay foundations instead for Israeli/Palestinian and Arab/Jewish partnership at a scale that can deliver peace and equality for all.”
