Academy Award-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow is facing online backlash after the Hollywood star and lifestyle entrepreneur appeared in an ad for a luxury real estate project in Israel.
The 53-year-old actress is appearing to promote 51 Park, a 51-story real estate project in the coastal city of Herzliya, just north of Tel Aviv. “There’s a reason the world’s most iconic building is next to a park: 51 Park,” Paltrow says in the ad, shot in New York and released this week.
When I asked her if the building was in New York, she replied, “Herzliya. Israel.”
Although she did not post any ads on her Instagram page, users of the social media platform flooded her latest post with angry comments about her promotion of projects in Israel. Some criticized her for promoting real estate in the Gaza Strip, which is in ruins from the war with Israel, while others posted pictures of Palestinian flags and “Liberate Palestine” statements in several languages.
CNN has reached out to Paltrow for comment.
Israel has been accused by several human rights groups of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip and is facing a genocide trial at the International Court of Justice. Israeli leaders have repeatedly denied the allegations and maintain that the military operation was aimed at overthrowing Hamas.
The backlash underscores the risks of engaging with Israel in this way after the three-year war in Gaza, in which more than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed, and wars in Lebanon and Iran.
In a similar survey, the Pew Research Center found that most people in 36 countries have negative views of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Overall, 67% of adults surveyed had a negative view of Israel, while only 25% had a positive view.
Paltrow was raised in an interfaith Jewish and Christian household. Her father is Jewish and she was open about celebrating Jewish holidays like Hanukkah. After the Hamas-led terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, Paltrow was one of the Hollywood stars who wrote a letter to then-President Joe Biden asking for help in freeing hostages being held in Gaza.
