Taylor Swift is being pulled in all directions amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, with supporters on both sides urging the world’s biggest pop star to make a statement on the conflict.
On Sunday, the State of Israel’s official Twitter account asked Swift to help find a kidnapped woman, tagging the singer in the post.
“Roni (19) Eshel who is a huge Swiftie has been missing since the October 7th Massacre,” @Israel tweeted. “It would mean the world to Roni’s family if Taylor would use her platform to call for Roni’s return.”
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It’s not the first time Israel has reached out to Swift; last month the state of Israel tagged the pop star in an Instagram post, confirming the news that one of her former Eras bodyguards had landed safely and returned to join the IDF.
“Hey @taylorswift, we promise you’ll never find another like him 💙, ” the post said. “Taylor Swift’s #ErasTour body guard returned home to fight for his country.”
But supporters of Israel aren’t the only ones calling for Swift to join their side.
For the past few weeks, Swift fans distraught by the civilian deaths in Gaza have been using the hashtag #SwiftiesForPalestine to call for their favorite pop star to take action—and have even called for a boycott of an upcoming Swift-themed episode of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars until she weighs in.
Despite these calls and numerous requests for comment from outlets including Variety, however, Swift has remained silent.
Meanwhile, speaking up on the matter has gone poorly for a number of other celebrities.
Last week, Selena Gomez got herself roasted up and down the internet for writing an Instagram post that kept things just vague enough that it could be despised by all sides of the conflict.
“People being tortured and killed or any act of hate towards any group is horrific,” she wrote. “I’m sorry if my words will never be enough for everyone or a hashtag… I wish I could change the world, but a post won’t.”
When this didn’t go over well, and Gomez was ruthlessly criticized for not taking a stand in either direction, the star threatened to delete her Instagram account, but ultimately decided not to go that far. Days later, Gomez signed an open letter to President Biden urging a ceasefire in Gaza.
Swift was seen alongside Gomez on her first public outing Saturday since the criticism, along with gal pals Sophie Turner, Cara Delevingne and Gigi Hadid.
The Palestinian-American model Hadid had her own bout with controversy after releasing her own statement on the conflict.
Hadid was also tagged last month in messages by the Israel’s official Instagram account after sharing a graphic to her Instagram story related to the Israel-Hamas war: “There is nothing Jewish about the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians. Condemning the Israeli government is not antisemitic and supporting Palestinians is not supporting Hamas.”
The official Israeli account replied: “Have you been sleeping the past week? Or are you just fine turning a blind eye to Jewish babies being butchered in their homes? Your silence has been very clear about where you stand. We see you.”
She added in another post: “My thoughts are with all those affected by this unjustifiable tragedy, and every day that innocent lives are taken by this conflict too many of which are children.”
Since then, Hadid, along with every other member of her famous family, has reportedly received death threats.
As crisis communications expert Eden Gillott, president of Gillott Communications in Los Angeles, told The Washington Post last month: “Gone are the days of keeping mum on what were considered taboo topics. The pressure to speak up has intensified, because, for some, silence equals condoning bad behavior.” But, Gillott added: “Silence can speak louder than words, but fumbling through a rushed response often does more damage than staying silent.”
– Additional reporting by Helen Holmes
