By Bruce S. Ticker
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — Guy Pearce was beaten bloody by fellow Australian Russell Crowe in L.A. Confidential and abdicated the royal throne in The King’s Speech,and on Oscar night he persisted with his real-life mission to free Palestine.
When he adorned his suit lapel with a “Free Palestine” pin in early March, I had to wonder if he deserved his nomination for best supporting actor in The Brutalist. Did he need to do any acting to portray an antisemitic industrialist? Whether he is antisemitic or ignorant of the issues, he still lowered himself enough to give new meaning to the phrase “Down Under.”
Just to utter the words “Free Palestine” is confusing. Free Palestine how? Palestine is what? Is there a sovereign entity known as Palestine? Such as Palestine, Texas, or Palestine, Illinois? I cannot think of any sovereign state or recognized city of Palestine in the Middle East.
Advocates for the Palestinian people have yet to explain what Palestine is, and Pearce sounds confused as he stumbles over his words to describe the situation.
When The Brutalist premiered last January, Pearce told reporters, “Thankfully all those people in Gaza can go back to their homes and live freely like they did on October 6th.”
Quite the loaded assumption. Who among the Gazans have a home to return to? They never “lived freely” under Hamas rule. Hamas, long known as a terrorist group, maintains tight control over everyone who lives in Gaza.
Pearce must be blissfully unaware of these conditions.
He was far from finished that day, as he noted, “I can’t help but think about people who are less privileged whether they are people with disabilities or whether they are people under occupation, people who struggle with climate change.”
Earth to Guy: We all “struggle with climate change.” The only “disabilities” affecting extremists in Gaza are in the head, and I am not generalizing about everyone who resides in Gaza. Many of them want to destroy Israel, and their only “occupation” is imposed by Hamas, which has controlled Gaza for almost two decades.
And: “I think it’s important in this situation it’s great to promote our movie, no question but I think it’s also good to recognize everybody in the world particularly when things are so imbalanced.”
Pearce neglects to “recognize everybody” who was burned alive, decapitated, shot and otherwise slaughtered in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, nor the 250 people kidnapped and detained as hostages. As disturbing as has been Israel’s military response, Pearce does not mention that Hamas forces its people to serve as human shields by installing military targets inside schools and hospitals, and having its leaders and members live in general-population residential buildings.
“Free Palestine” is code for destroying Israel, as many defenders of Israel claim. That is surely true of many Palestinians and their backers, but not all. It can be hard to distinguish between bloodthirsty radicals and those who genuinely believe that Israel occupies the land inhabited by Arabs and refuses to return it to them.
The English-born Pearce, whose family moved to the Australian city of Geelong when he was three years old, could well be among those who sincerely believe that Palestinians are victims of Israeli apartheid and colonialism. As such, he must help free Palestine, except he does not say how to do it. He sounds as if he does not understand any of it.
He speaks in scattershot language when struggling to explain his quest to free Palestine. He lumps Palestinians with people with disabilities and climate change.
Pearce could be willing to embrace any cause that pops up in front of him. It would mean that he is well intentioned, but he risks getting mixed up with delusional concepts.
Palestinians may be “less privileged,” but their leaders and neighbors hardly care. If they cared, why would they carry out a massacre that was sure to provoke a violent response? Why would they leave their people vulnerable to bombings and a counter-invasion?
Pearce, who later moved to a suburb of nearby Melbourne, is either unfamiliar with Middle East history or does not care. Israel has already tried to “free Palestine” by showing its willingness to compromise. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak offered them an independent state during formal negotiations in 2000 at a summit hosted by U.S. President Bill Clinton. Then Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat rejected the proposal and helped launch another war that left 1,000 Israelis and 3,000 Arabs dead.
No doubt that many supporters of Israel are less generous to Pearce than this writer. They will claim he is another Nazi. Whatever he really is, most Jews were delighted with the outcome of Pearce’s Academy Awards nomination.
To paraphrase another perceived Nazi, Seinfeld style, we can proclaim: “No Oscar for you!”
Bad day, mate.
*
Bruce S. Ticker is a Philadelphia-based columnist.