Cynthia Nixon, the actor best known for her role on HBO's Sex and the City, revealed Monday that she will be undertaking a hunger strike as part of a call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
The Gaza territory is currently embroiled in an intense conflict between the Israeli military and the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, which carried out a historically bloody attack against Israel on October 7, killing over 1,200 people, according to the Associated Press. In response, Israeli military strikes in Gaza have killed over 13,000, the AP reported. This escalating conflict has led to a fierce international discourse, with many calling for a ceasefire in Gaza to provide relief to the civilians engulfed by the fighting.
Among prominent public figures voicing support for a ceasefire is Nixon, who on Monday "joined prominent Muslim, Jewish and allied leaders, and state legislators from New York and Delaware" for a press conference outside the White House, at which she announced her participation in a five-day hunger strike as part of a call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, according to a press release provided to Newsweek. A temporary ceasefire between Israeli and Hamas forces is currently in place, but the press release argued that "Israel is expected to intensify its genocidal bombing campaign on Gaza once the pause is over," citing a report last week from CNN based on comments made by Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
The United Nations (UN) describes genocide as "a crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in whole or in part." While the press release echoed the beliefs of some in likening the deaths of Gaza civilians to genocide, supporters of Israel have denied claims that the country is carrying out genocide against Palestinians.
Nixon is best known for her role as Miranda Hobbes, whom she played for six seasons on Sex and the City, in two theatrical feature films, and on two-going-on-three seasons of the Max original sequel series And Just Like That. She has also been outspoken over the years in her left-wing political beliefs, once challenging Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic nomination for governor of New York in 2018. Though she is not Jewish herself, the two children she had with former partner Danny Mozes are, a fact she highlighted in speaking about her decision to undertake a hunger strike.
"As the mother of Jewish children whose grandparents are Holocaust survivors, I have been asked by my son to use my platform to project as loudly as possible that 'never again' means never again for everyone," Nixon said. "As an American, I am here to demand that our President [Joe Biden] stop funding the mass killing and starvation of thousands of innocent Palestinians, the majority of whom are children and women. President Biden must use this moment to negotiate a permanent ceasefire that will bring all the hostages and political prisoners home and start to lay the foundation for a lasting peace."
Nixon was previously among the over 250 celebrities to sign off on a letter calling for a Gaza ceasefire. The press release on Monday claimed that the hunger strike initiative had been endorsed by numerous organizations, including the U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights (USCPR), the Adalah Justice Project (AJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), the IfNotNow Movement, Dream Defenders, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU), and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC).
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.
While Biden, as well as many other U.S. lawmakers, have been broadly supportive of Israel's response to Hamas, he has more recently begun making overtures to those more opposed to the conflict. Biden has touted American diplomatic efforts that helped broker an agreement for the temporary ceasefire and the release of 50 hostages by Hamas. Over the weekend, The Washington Post also reported that Biden has allegedly expressed regret over his past skepticism of the Palestinian death toll in Gaza, though he has not spoken publicly on the matter.
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Thomas Kika is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in upstate New York. His focus is reporting on crime and national ... Read more
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