It appears the anti-Israel/pro-Hamas lobby in America is getting desperate. In fact, they are so desperate to push their agenda that they are employing a ridiculous strategy: begging singer Taylor Swift to speak out in favor of the Palestinians.
A group of social media fans have launched a full-on effort to persuade Swift to chime in on the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, which has been raging since the terrorist group carried out a brutal surprise attack on the Jewish state on October 7.
Using the hashtag #SwiftiesForPalestine, this intrepid gaggle of keyboard warriors are writing posts demanding that Swift, a noted expert on Middle Eastern geopolitics, make a statement against Israel. “[Y]ou can’t tell me taylor or her team aren’t aware about this hashtag,” one user posted, with a screenshot of the hashtag trending on X.
Another user also chimed in, saying she is “proud of Taylor for what she has achieved this year” but also asked, “What use is her ever-growing influence if she stays silent?”
Since the start of the war, several celebrities have expressed their opinions on the matter. Former adult film actress Mia Khalifa came out against Israel and criticized members of Congress who voted to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), the leading member of the House Hamas Caucus. She claimed those who voted against Tlaib were being paid by a pro-Israel political action committee.
However, some celebrities have expressed support for Israel, including Star Wars actor Mark Hamill and Kylie Jenner. They were almost instantly pilloried for doing so, of course.
This campaign comes amid widespread unrest on college campuses related to the war in Gaza. Pro-Hamas protesters have engaged in violence and other unruly activities in their effort to pressure their schools to divest from the Jewish state.
Here’s the thing: What would it matter if Swift spoke out on the situation in the Middle East? For starters, the Swiftie crowd has no idea where she stands on the matter. What if she did what they wanted but ended up supporting Israel? As stated previously, she would not be the only celebrity to do so. Each of these folks would likely have a supreme meltdown if she dared to condemn Hamas and affirm Israel’s right to defend itself.
On the other hand, what would happen if Swift did come out in support of the Palestinians? Then what? Do these people actually believe this would prompt President Joe Biden to cease all support for Israel?
Of course, they don’t. Just like these people don’t actually believe that setting up encampments on college campuses or attacking Jewish students will actually have an impact on support for Israel.
Nearly everything we have seen from the supposed pro-Palestinian crowd has been purely performative. It is nothing more than a way for these impressionable young people to signal their virtue by pretending to care for the plight of the brown folks living in the Gaza Strip. If these people truly cared about the situation on the ground, their anger would be directed at Hamas and other terrorist groups that have been oppressing the Palestinians for decades.
Yet, you never hear the activists utter an unkind word about these entities. Why? Because the truth is that they really don’t care.