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The Israeli government and other critics are calling out celebrities wearing what they believe is a Palestinian "symbol of bloodlust" that was canonized in its culture from a bloody lynching almost 25 years ago.
Billie Eilish, her brother Finneas and Mark Ruffalo were among the many stars calling for a cease-fire in the Middle East who sported a pin with a red hand symbol at the Oscars on Sunday evening.
"To those who wore the red hand pin at the Oscars, this is what every Israeli and Palestinian thinks of when he sees a red hand: the lynching of 2 Israelis by Palestinians in 2000 in a police station," Ofir Gendelman, an Israeli government spokesperson, wrote on X. "The murderers drenched their hands in their victims' blood, celebrating their murder. Don't support that."
A Palestinian youth, left, proudly shows Israeli blood on his hands as he is cheered by Palestinians yelling "Allahu Akbar" in October 2000. Billie Eilish is seen at the Oscars wearing a red pin the Israeli government says represents a terror attack. (Getty )
In October 2000, two IDF reservists, Yossi Avrahami and Vadim Nurzhitz, were lynched by a massive mob in Ramallah, West Bank, after they made a wrong turn in the Palestinian Authority-controlled region. After rumors spread about their whereabouts at a police station, around 1,000 Palestinians gathered around the station.
One particular image from the carnage became infamous when one of the killers, Aziz Salha, waved his bloodied hands to the crowd from the police station's window after dozens broke in.
According to the Times of Israel, Salha later explained that the Palestinians present were "in a craze to see blood." As he waved his hands, the Palestinian mob cheered: "Allahu Akbar," which means "God is great" in Arabic.
Salha had said, "We were in a craze to see blood. I entered the room… I saw an Israeli soldier sprawled on the floor in front of the door," according to court documents reported in the Times of Israel.
"I came closer to him and saw a knife lodged in his back, near his right shoulder. I removed the knife and stabbed him in the back two or three times… while others in the room continued to kick him. I put my hand over his mouth and the other on his shoulder, in order to strangle him."
"I saw that my hands were drenched with blood, and so was my shirt," Salha continued. "So I went over to the window and I waved my hands at the people who were in the courtyard."
The mob then threw the bodies out of the station and desecrated them.
"The ‘red hand pin’ is a grotesque symbol of homicidal Jew-hatred, and wearing it reflects, at best, the wearer’s stunning ignorance, or, at worst, support for the genocide of the Jewish people," said Brooke Goldstein, the executive director of the Jewish civil rights firm Lawfare Project, in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"The origins of this pin… is a symbol of bloodlust" that is part of an "Islamist agenda," Goldstein added.
"The red pins were meticulously fashioned under the guise of a ‘cease-fire,’ yet their sinister origins trace back to the grim events of 2000," Liora Rez from the group StopAntisemitism told Fox News Digital. "Amid the glamour of Hollywood, an insidious undercurrent of antisemitic sentiment persists."
"Their bodies bore the marks of unspeakable violence, with limbs torn apart and eyes gouged out, while the assailants brazenly displayed their bloodied hands as a grotesque trophy. This atrocity unfolded amid the tumult of the Second Intifada, a dark chapter akin to Oct. 7," Rez said.
Fox News Digital contacted reps for Eilish, Finneas and Ruffalo but did not immediately receive a response.
A Palestinian lynch mob in Ramallah in October 2000. (Getty)
Terror expert Jonathan Schanzer weighed in, telling Fox News Digital, "Hollywood types may not realize it, but red hands are something of a trigger for Israelis in this [current] conflict."
The trigger, Schanzer explained, was that Salha was released, along with 1,027 Palestinian prisoners, many of whom were terrorists, in exchange for an Israeli soldier who was kidnapped by Hamas and taken into the Gaza Strip, 10 years later.
"A post-script to this story came in 2011. Salha had been in jail for 10 years. He was released in a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas. Among the others released was Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader widely credited for launching the current war," he said.
The pins come from a campaign by Artists4Ceasefire.
Hundreds of celebs joined Artists4Ceasefire, a campaign calling for a cease-fire after the Oct. 7 terror attacks against Israel. The Jewish state believes that over 134 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip, including two children.
Palestinians cheer as two Israelis are murdered. One of the killers said, "We were in a craze to see blood." (Getty Images)
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Artists4Ceasefire explained their mission was to consolidate losses on both sides and stand for a "common humanity."
"Artists4Ceasefire is a group of artists and advocates who have come together in response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Israel and Palestine. We are here to lend our voices and our platforms to amplify the global call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the safe return of all hostages, and the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid to the civilians in Gaza," the campaign said. "We stand for our common humanity, and a future rooted in freedom, justice, dignity and peace for all people. We cannot be silent. Compassion must prevail."
The website states of the pin's design and symbolism, "The Artists4Ceasefire enamel pin is composed of a red background to symbolize the urgency of the call to save lives. The orange hand conveys the beautiful community of people from all backgrounds that have come together in support of centering our shared humanity. The heart being cradled in the center of the hand is an invitation for us to lead with our hearts, always, to lead with love. When we lead with love, we understand that all of our fellow beings deserve to be loved and protected."
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