--- title: Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz Clarify Position on Israel and Gaza description: The Oscar-winning actors issue clarifying statements on the Israel-Hamas conflict, after being heavily criticized for co-signing an open letter lamenting Israel's actions in Gaza canonical: https://time.com/3069754/javier-bardem-penelope-cruz-gaza/ author: Megan Gibson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-08-01T14:31:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-21T09:27:35.368Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz clarify their views on Gaza og:description: The Oscar-winning actors issue clarifying statements on the Israel-Hamas conflict, after being heavily criticized for co-signing an open letter lamenting Israel's actions in Gaza og:url: https://time.com/3069754/javier-bardem-penelope-cruz-gaza/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt05fb55941ae56300/69869e1eadae4449c4544623/183147562.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: "The Counselor" - Photocall og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz clarify their views on Gaza twitter:description: The Oscar-winning actors issue clarifying statements on the Israel-Hamas conflict, after being heavily criticized for co-signing an open letter lamenting Israel's actions in Gaza twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt05fb55941ae56300/69869e1eadae4449c4544623/183147562.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz Backtrack on Israel and Gaza Letter > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. by [Megan Gibson](https://time.com/author/megan-gibson/) ## Megan Gibson Aug 1, 2014 2:31 PM UTC  Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz attend a photocall for 'The Counselor' at The Dorchester on October 5, 2013 in London, England. Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz attend a photocall for 'The Counselor' at The Dorchester on October 5, 2013 in London, England.Dave J Hogan--Getty Images by [Megan Gibson](https://time.com/author/megan-gibson/) ## Megan Gibson Aug 1, 2014 2:31 PM UTC Spanish actors Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz have each [released statements](http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/01/javier-bardem-israel-palestine-gaza-penelope-cruz) clarifying their position on the war in Gaza after the married couple were heavily criticized for co-signing an open letter in a Spanish newspaper which condemned Israel’s actions. The letter, published by _El Diario_ earlier this week, included the signatures of many heavyweights in the Spanish film industry and called on the European Union to “condemn the bombing by land, sea and air against the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip.” Since the letter was published, the Oscar-winning couple has faced fierce criticism and [accusations](http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Penelope-Cruz-and-Javier-Bardem-are-anti-Semites-369525) of anti-Semitism in Israel and beyond. The response has been so hostile that both actors issued statements in order to clarify their personal intentions. The _No Country for Old Men_ star released a statement titled “Plea for Peace” on Thursday, which read: --- > “” --- Bardem’s statement came hot on the heels of his wife’s own public clarification, as Cruz released a statement to [_USA Today_ on Wednesday,](http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2014/07/30/penelope-cruz-clarifies-views-in-anti-israel-letter/13388717/) which said: --- > “” --- Earlier this week, [TIME’s Lily Rothman wrote about the backlash](http://time.com/3051836/the-lessons-of-the-one-direction-freepalestine-tweet/) that often follows when celebrities wade into the thorny issue of Middle East politics. Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and Scarlett Johansson have all faced blow-back in recent years after expressing opinions on the situation in Israel, whether on social media or in interviews about endorsements. The public ire is often harsh enough that these celebrities are quick to walk back on — or delete — their original statements. In the case of Bardem and Cruz, the pair appear to be attempting to neutralize the backlash by expanding on their sympathies for civilians on both sides of the border and emphasizing their wish for peace. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3069754/javier-bardem-penelope-cruz-gaza/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3069754/javier-bardem-penelope-cruz-gaza/"},"headline":"Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz Backtrack on Israel and Gaza Letter","datePublished":"2014-08-01T14:31:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T09:27:35.368Z","description":"The Oscar-winning actors issue clarifying statements on the Israel-Hamas conflict, after being heavily criticized for co-signing an open letter lamenting Israel's actions in Gaza","url":"https://time.com/3069754/javier-bardem-penelope-cruz-gaza/","keywords":["controversy","Israel","Middle East","Gaza and the West Bank","conflict","Gaza","celebrity","IDF"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt05fb55941ae56300/69869e1eadae4449c4544623/183147562.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan Gibson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/megan-gibson/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt05fb55941ae56300/69869e1eadae4449c4544623/183147562.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"\"The Counselor\" - Photocall","caption":"\"The Counselor\" - Photocall","creditText":"Dave J Hogan--Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/controversy/","name":"controversy"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3069754/javier-bardem-penelope-cruz-gaza/","name":"Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz Backtrack on Israel and Gaza Letter"}}]}] ```