Director Jonathan Demme Blasts Israel, Says Not an Anti-Semite

Director Jonathan Demme felt the need to dismiss potential charges of anti-semitism this week before echoing the thoughts of many Hollywood liberals.

The Silence of the Lambs auteur is aghast at Israel’s current use of force against the Palestinian people, a military action taken after the democratically elected militant group Hamas rained missiles down on Israel without provocation.

I know that I am not anti-Semitic. I believe passionately that Palestine deserves statehood and there is a two-state solution,” the Oscar-winning director said during an interview on Huffington Post Live. “I just don’t see how you justify this horrendous use of force….

“I think more than anything, first and foremost, all of these innocent children being killed. It makes me think about — please withdraw the settlements; please tear down the wall; please let’s work for peace,” Demme said. “Every new iteration of the violence that comes up feels like you’re starting all over again and I just can’t imagine how unbearable it must be to be a Palestinian living in Gaza being invaded like this and seeing the children of your community lying dead in the sand.