Javier Bardem’s Shocking IDF-Nazi Claim: Hollywood Star Faces Backlash
Javier Bardem’s inflammatory Instagram post comparing the IDF to Nazis, using a misleading 2018 video, exemplifies a rising trend of celebrities promoting antisemitic narratives under the guise of pro-Palestinian activism. This surge, often echoing Hamas propaganda, ignores the Israel-Gaza conflict’s complexities, fueling global antisemitism.
Oscar-winning actor Javier Bardem has fuelled a growing wave of celebrity-driven antisemitism with an Instagram post branding the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as “Nazis” over a 2018 video of an IDF sniper wounding a Palestinian near the Gaza fence. The caption read, “The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) are NAZIS,” likening the incident to the actions of Amon Göth, the Nazi officer from Schindler’s List known for executing prisoners. Bardem wrote, “Today, that same logic of terror and dehumanization is what the IDF applies against the Palestinian people.” The 2017 event involved a non-lethal shooting of a Palestinian suspected of inciting border unrest, a context Bardem omitted, amplifying Hamas propaganda narratives that ignore the October 7, 2023, attack where Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and abducted over 250.
Bardem’s rhetoric mirrors a troubling trend among celebrities like singers Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa, who have endorsed pro-Palestinian causes without acknowledging Hamas’s terrorism or Israel’s security challenges. At the 2024 San Sebastián International Film Festival, Bardem declared, “What is happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable, is terrible, is dehumanizing. I believe that the government of Israel is the most radical government in the history of Israel.” He added, “The impunity that the current Israeli government enjoys in its actions in Gaza and Judea and Samaria has to change,” criticizing support from the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom. He also suggested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu uses the Gaza war to deflect corruption allegations, a claim met with applause from journalists, reflecting a broader celebrity tendency to echo unverified narratives.
This surge in celebrity antisemitism, often cloaked as pro-Palestinian activism, has drawn criticism for spreading Hamas talking points, such as labelling Israel’s actions as “genocide” while ignoring the group’s use of human shields and rocket attacks. In May 2025, Bardem joined over 300 cultural figures at Cannes in condemning Gaza’s “genocide,” further mainstreaming biased rhetoric. The Anti-Defamation League reported a 140% rise in antisemitic incidents globally in 2024, with celebrity endorsements fueling online hate. Critics argue such figures exploit their platforms, disregarding the conflict’s complexities and Jewish suffering, while amplifying divisive propaganda.