A global campaign to boycott Israeli cinema triples in intensity within days.

For a number of the biggest stars in Hollywood today, along with thousands of professionals from the film industry around the world, to sign a pledge to boycott all Israeli cinema institutions due to the war on Gaza is an important and unprecedented event, thus its effects were striking within Israel and among its supporters from international film institutions.

The pledge - which was issued earlier this week by a group of cinema workers for Palestine and signed by more than 4,000 actors, directors, and producers from around the world - calls on professionals in the global cinema field to boycott Israeli institutions, including festivals, cinemas, radio stations, and production companies.

According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the number of signatories to the initiative has more than tripled since it was first issued on Monday, when 1,300 workers in the field signed it.

Hollywood stars who are among the prominent signatories of the initiative - the Israeli newspaper continues - include Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton, Riz Ahmed, Javier Bardem, Ava DuVernay, and Yorgos Lanthimos.

The writer Haneen Majdali - in her column in Haaretz - mentioned that the Israeli Film and Television Producers Association quickly issued a statement asserting that the signatories of the pledge are targeting the wrong people, claiming that artists are the main voices that allow the public to hear and see the complexities of the conflict, including Palestinian narratives and criticisms of Israeli state policies.

Majdali spoke about films that contradict the official Israeli narrative, including films that addressed the Nakba of 1948, but she wondered why Israeli filmmakers see themselves as victims in this story, asking: "Do Israeli filmmakers express their opposition in a tangible way by refusing to serve in the occupation army and participating in a system that commits crimes against humanity? Or is their protest limited only to the realm of artistic creativity?"

She emphasized that the left, for example, shows opposition to the occupation, but still adheres to its duties when the army issues emergency call-up notices.

She said: "I am very aware of this flawed logic. Its essence is simple: opposition to the occupation, and a sincere belief that it is wrong and immoral, but without taking any tangible action, such as refusing to serve in the army or joining the reserve service."

She stressed that Israelis, including leftists, are either unable or unwilling to exert sufficient pressure on the government to stop the genocide, highlighting that for this reason, the world must intervene where Israelis fail.

She clarified that the boycott is not a retaliatory act "but a corrective mechanism," addressing the angry ones by saying: "The boycott may isolate you and make you pariahs on the international stage, but only until you realize that an empty declaration like (not in my name) is far from sufficient, because, in truth, it is in your name."

For its part, Paramount quickly condemned the boycott of Israeli cinema institutions due to the war on Gaza, stating in a statement that "silencing creative artists based on their nationality does not serve the cause of peace," according to Haaretz.

The Israeli newspaper reported that Paramount condemned the pledge of thousands of actors, directors, and producers from various parts of the world to boycott Israeli cinema institutions that they claim are complicit in genocide against Palestinians.

Paramount stated in its statement: "We do not agree with the recent efforts to boycott Israeli filmmakers," adding that "silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not promote understanding or serve the cause of peace; we need more engagement and communication, not less."

Meanwhile, the "Cinema Workers for Palestine" group - to the Associated Press - confirmed that its initiative "is based on historical struggles," particularly the successful international movement to end the apartheid system in South Africa, as reported by Haaretz.

It emphasized that if Israeli cinema institutions want to continue working with the signatories of the pledge, their choice is clear: "End complicity in genocide and apartheid in Israel, and recognize the full rights of the Palestinian people under international law."