Debra Messing under fire over mockery of Gazan journalist
Pro-Israel actress Debra Messing stoked outrage following her Instagram post regarding a Palestinian journalist, American news website, MintPress News reported on January 24.
Photojournalist Motaz Azaiza, 24, had been covering Israel’s brutal war on Gaza and left the enclave on January 23, opting to go to Qatar.
The Palestinian has amassed a large following on X, previously Twitter, and Instagram (18.5 million on the latter alone) over recent months and has been highlighting Israeli war crimes in Gaza as well as being named “Man of the Year” by GQ Middle East, as Messing mockingly mentioned in her provocative post.
Azaiza’s decision to depart sparked a foul reaction from the New York-born actress, best known for playing Grace Adler in the famous American sitcom Will and Grace as well as starring in romcom film The Wedding Date.
Once she found out that Azaiza was evacuating the battle-stained Palestinian territory, she wrote on a post on her Instagram story, “GQ Middle East “Man of The Year” and Gaza “journalist” leaves for Qatar. Very interesting decision.”
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Such remarks attracted fury amongst dozens of social media users, branding her out of touch and ill-informed about the situation in Gaza Strip, where Azaiza was born and raised (in Deir-Al Balah more precisely).
One X user jokingly wrote, “Debra Messing the only thing you’ve survived is trying to resurrect your acting career. #FreeFreePalestine.”
Another user commented, “A wealthy white, red haired American woman born & raised in Brooklyn (New York). She believes she is entitled to dehumanise & demean Palestinians in the furtherance of a genocide so that she can steal their land. Debra Messing is a white supremacist & guilty of genocide its that simple.”
Messing makes no secret of her support for Israel having visited the state, calling IDF soldiers “heroes” whilst visiting them, as recently as December as well as speaking at pro-Israel marches in the United States.
Azaiza fired back at the actress when he realised that she poked fun at him, simply responding, “Who?”.
On a more serious note, the photojournalist explained in a moving clip that he had left Gaza for numerous reasons but hoped to return soon, noting that he would “help the people of Gaza to rebuild”.
The Committee to Protect Journalists found on February 1 that 85 reporters in Gaza had been killed since the beginning of October, 78 of whom were Palestinian.
MintPress News/ Al Jazeera
