The recent Israel-Gaza conflict caused a divide in the world, with many contemplating who to support and whether they should speak on it. Oakland-born singer-songwriter Kehlani vociferously declared her support for Palestine and slammed her “peers” for remaining silent.
The “Ring” singer took to her Instagram Story on Friday to clue the world in on where her support remained, simultaneously slamming her fellow entertainers for not speaking out.
“To my peers and people that are in the same spaces I’m in, what the f**k is wrong with y’all? You’re being silent for the sake of money and business. Like that amounts to what the f**k is going on. There’s an insane amount of unchecked privilege on literal f**king display, and it is gutwrenching. It is disgusting.
Kehlani claimed some have contacted and urged her to keep quiet.
“Do y’all hear yourselves? Have you looked at yourself in the mirror today and been like, ‘Am I a decent f**king human being?’ Like, I am off-put. Get real,” the 28-year-old said.
Kehlani also addressed those who weren’t emotionally impacted by the Israel-Gaza conflict.
“It’s the way there isn’t actually much of anything more important going on in humanity than this right now,” she wrote. “This is an everybody issue. If you’re just swiping [through] stories and kissing your teeth, saying, ‘thoughts and prayers,’ ask [yourself] why [you] aren’t enraged…infuriated. I hope you feel ridiculous reading this.”
She then clarified her support for Palestine was unwavering.
“I’ve only ever deleted posts when someone close points out something potentially not actually aligning with what they know…or feel, not because s**t’s changing up. It’s free Palestine till it’s backward,” she said.
She attended a “Free Palestine” protest in Los Angeles and shared why people should support Palestinians.
“I don’t think it’s a complicated situation at all,” she said. “I think it’s black and white, and you have a choice to see it or not. I hope you see it. Listen to the people who have families, who are going through this and people who are there. I want my followers and my peers to stand on the right side of history. I want them to make a decision that is larger than them.”
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In an Instagram post, Kehlani educated her followers on how advocating wasn’t a trend but a risk and that staying silent fed the oppressed.
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Commenters commended the singer for bravely speaking on the controversial issue and being grounded in her decision. Others defended her peers, claiming those who stayed silent possibly weren’t educated enough to talk about it or weren’t into politics.
One thing to note is that Kehlani expressed her support for Palestinian citizens, not Hamas, a powerful militant group in Palestinian territories with whom Israel is at war. Unfortunately, Palestinian citizens killed were in the crossfire of the attacks (doesn’t make Israel’s actions right).
There have been years of conflict between Israel and Hamas. The recent attacks happened on Oct. 7, when Hamas struck Israel with over 6,600 explosives that killed over 250 people and injured at least 1,500, according to World101 and the Israeli government.
Amid Hamas’ rocket barrages, the fighters entered Israeli territory, harming Israeli citizens, holding hundreds captive and taking them to Gaza. They also horrifically murdered hundreds of Israeli people, including children. There have also been reports of abuse and rape.
In response, the Israeli government issued an evacuation order to 1.1 million civilians in Northern Gaza, according to CNN, putting nearby hospitals with thousands of sick and injured patients in a challenging position.
Not long after, Israel conducted strikes against Hamas by sending explosives to the Gaza Strip, resulting in the horrendous deaths of 2,670 people (children made up a quarter of the death toll).
The Israel-Hamas War sent the internet into a frenzy. People couldn’t decide who to side with amid the war, the militant group that bombed and invaded one territory to kill and terrorize thousands of people or the government that risked thousands of lives just to retaliate against one group.
Most of the support went toward Palestinians, while some social media users and celebrities expressed support for Israel.
This led the Palestinian Authority President and the Israeli government to release statements.
The Israeli government didn’t like how the internet painted them as villains, claiming the targets were Hamas and none of the Palestinian citizens.
“The difference between how the Israeli government acts and how the Hamas operates. We shoot only ever the terrorists in order to protect our own country. We inform the Palestinian citizens to stay away when we prepare an attack so that no innocent life is killed in the way. That’s how we really operate.”
Reuters reported that Palestinian Authority’s President Mahmoud Abbas criticized Hamas during a phone conversation with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, which the Palestinian Authority’s official news agency published only to change later.
WAFA’s initial report read, “The president also stressed that Hamas’ policies and actions do not represent the Palestinian people, and the policies, programs and decisions of the (Palestine Liberation Organization) represent the Palestinian people as their sole legitimate representative.”
But hours later, the report was edited, removing Hamas’ name. It read, “The president also stressed that the policies, programs, and decisions of the PLO represent the Palestinian people as their sole legitimate representative, and not the policies of any other organization.”
