Hollywood artists punished for supporting Palestine's resistance to Israeli occupation

Hollywood talent agency, United Talent Agency [UTA], has dropped Susan Sarandon, Melissa Barrera has been fired from the cast of the upcoming thriller, Scream VII and Tom Cruise's agent has been pressured to step down from her role at the Creative Artists Agency [CAA], all because of their support for Palestine against Israeli occupation and the ongoing war on Gaza.

A UTA spokesperson, cited by several US media outlets, confirmed on Wednesday that Sarandon was dropped but not did not elaborate on the decision.

The Oscar-winning actress attended several pro-Palestine rallies and faced criticism for saying at a November 17 rally in New York City, "There are a lot of people afraid of being Jewish at this time, and are getting a taste of what it feels like to be a Muslim in this country."

During the rally, Sarandon also said criticising Israel should not be considered anti-Semitic.

"There's a terrible thing that’s happened where anti-Semitism has been confused with speaking up against Israel," she said.

"I am against anti-Semitism. I am against Islamophobia."

Barrera, 33, was fired on Tuesday from Scream VII by production company, Spyglass, according to a report in Variety.

The industry insider magazine cited company sources who said Barrera was removed due to her social media posts, including referring to Israel as a "colonised" land and saying that Israel controls the media.

"I, too, come from a colonised country. Palestine will be free," she wrote in an Instagram post which was falsely called "anti-Semitic."

"Western media only shows the other [Israeli] side. Why do they do that, I will let you deduce for yourself," she wrote in a separate Instagram story.

"Censorship is very real. Palestinians know this, they know the world has been trying to make them invisible for decades. Keep sharing," she said.

Spyglass released a statement on Barrera's removal and said its stance is "unequivocally clear."

"We have zero tolerance for anti-Semitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech," it said in a statement quoted by several US media outlets.

Tom Cruise backs his agent

Maha Dakhil, one of the top talent managers at CAA, has also come under pressure for pro-Palestine social media posts, which forced her to make her Instagram account private.

"What’s more heartbreaking than witnessing genocide? Witnessing the denial that genocide is happening," she reportedly wrote on the platform, which is owned by Meta.

Variety, reported that Dakhil later apologised and quoted her as saying she "made a mistake."

Hollywood star, Tom Cruise, reportedly met her at her office to show support. Dakhil was allowed to remain an agent for Cruise after he made it clear that he was supporting her.

Many actors have voiced support for Israel. Others have pitched for permanent truce.

On October 20, dozens of actors wrote to US President Joe Biden to press for a ceasefire in Gaza, including Joaquin Phoenix, Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, Susan Sarandon, Riz Ahmed and others.

"We urge your administration, and all world leaders, to honour all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay — an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages," the letter said then.

Israel's war on besieged Gaza has killed over 14,532 Palestinians so far. More than 7,000 Palestinians are missing or buried under rubble of bombed homes, authorities say.