‘Save the trees, ignore the bodies’: Actor Leonardo DiCaprio faces heat for investing in Israeli hotel
In a move that will definitely go down well with everybody and definitely won’t come back to haunt him at a later date, actor Leonardo DiCaprio has invested $10 million in a luxury hotel project in Tel Aviv. The project received final approvals on Tuesday and is expected to begin construction.
Israeli Hagag Group, the primary developers of the eco-friendly hotel, said it will feature approximately 365 rooms across two buildings, with a central swimming pool. The complex will also include a conference centre, restaurant, commercial spaces and a yacht marina. The group said DiCaprio was brought on for his background in environmentalism.
In case he missed it, Israel has been rampaging through Gaza for over 21 months now. At least 60,000 Palestinians are confirmed to have been killed during this military occupation and just under two million have been displaced. As the government in Tel Aviv faces pressures from the UN for pushing Gaza to the brink of famine, people are horrified at the announcement about DiCaprio’s venture.
The internet was quick to call the actor out for investing in a country responsible for so much suffering and bloodshed.
Redditers slammed the environmentalist and UN messenger of peace for “greenwashing apartheid”, calling him a “performative male final boss”.
A user accused DiCaprio of trying to imitate Marlon Brando, one of the first celebrities to partner with the UN for promotions. Brando famously partnered with the UN to advocate for access to clean water.
Netizens didn’t miss the opportunity to poke fun at DiCaprio’s penchant for dating women 30 years younger than him and that Israel was the country equivalent of his dating preferences.
The Titanic star first invested in the project in 2018, but his continued support puts him on an expanding list of celebrities under pressure for their ties to Israel. This isn’t his first tango with Israel either, DiCaprio met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a 2014 event hosted by an Israeli businessman.
In a world where celebrities and office workers alike are risking their jobs to speak out about Gaza, where students are being arrested for waving Palestinian flags, and the death and destruction inflicted by Israel is being broadcast in real time, we can’t understand how this announcement could have been received differently.
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