Pope Francis and Kim Kardashian have brought the 1915 Armenian genocide back into the news media’s consciousness, but what about other, ongoing atrocities, like Israel’s ethnic cleansing of Palestinians?
Kim Kardashian, a US reality TV star walks inside Armenian St. James Cathedral, in Jerusalem Monday, April 13, 2015. Kim Kardashian, along with husband West, their daughter, North West, and her sister, Khloe, arrived to Israel on a private visit.This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, when as many as 1.5 million Armenians were slaughtered by Turkish soldiers during World War I.
In recent days, Pope Francis and celebrities like Kim Kardashian, who is of Armenian descent, have brought this historic atrocity back to the attention of the mainstream media by speaking out publicly against it.
Kardashian, her rapper husband Kanye West, and her sister Khloe recently stopped in Armenia to lay flowers at the Armenian genocide memorial in Yerevan as part of a tour of the Middle East.
“The sisters then stood in silence in honor of the victims and spent about 10 minutes near the eternal flame. Kardashian arrived with her rapper husband Kanye West, their child North West and Khloe on Wednesday and were greeted by hundreds of fans,” reported Reuters. “Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan received Kardashian and her family in Yerevan on Thursday.”
Yet the Kardashians’ public opposition to the Armenian genocide stands in contrast to their support for other, repressive regimes — namely, apartheid Israel, which was the next stop on their visit.
Since 1948, Israel’s genocidal policies have expelled 90 percent of Palestinians from their land. Last summer, Israel killed 2,000 civilians and left 150,000 homeless in Gaza during the brutal assault known as “Operation Protective Edge.”
https://twitter.com/Sentletse/status/587648038715449344
West and Kardashian visited Israel for only a day, with the purpose of having their child, North West, baptized in a 12th-century Armenian church.
Kim & Kanye travel 2 Jerusalem 2 have daughter baptized at holy site Palestinian Christians can't access bc apartheid http://t.co/pxbS6Cb33k
— Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) April 13, 2015
Despite the brevity of their visit, they still had time to visit historic sites in the city like the Western Wall. They also found time to meet with the mayor of Jerusalem, thus lending implicit support to the city’s policy of violent, illegal expansion of Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem into traditional Palestinian lands.
.@KimKardashian & @kanyewest are now ambassadors for #child-abusing, #colonising, #apartheid #Jerusalem municipality http://t.co/zkMkzP89pq
— Tali (@TaliShapiro) April 14, 2015
Despite the efforts of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions activists to prevent celebrity visits to Israel, the trip was expected to bring millions of shekels into Israel’s economy, including the purchase of a luxury apartment in Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, as Kardashian and West played celebrity tourist, Israeli forces continued to oppress impoverished Palestinians nearby:
As @KimKardashian & @kanyewest kick it w/ apartheid, Israeli forces smash into Palestinian homes arresting children http://t.co/oOdhKaqyCh
— Rania Khalek (@RaniaKhalek) April 13, 2015
Not everyone in Israel was comfortable with Kardashian’s presence in their country — an ultra-Orthodox news source scrubbed her presence from photos. The visit to Israel also proved unpopular on social media, not just with those who decry the Hollywood cult of personality but also with those who object to any supporters of Israeli apartheid.
It’s not the first time Kim Kardashian’s public support of Israel’s war crimes has been publicly criticized, nor does it seem likely to be the last so long as she remains both in the public eye and a proud supporter of the apartheid regime.
https://twitter.com/nadiadaniali/status/450617428351791106
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