Mandy Patinkin goes full Palestinian

Mandy Patinkin, the Broadway legend and beloved Inigo Montoya of *The Princess Bride*, has long captivated audiences with his emotive performances and soulful renditions of Yiddish songs.

But his recent foray into political commentary, particularly his scathing critique of Israel’s actions in Gaza, reveals a troubling disconnect from the realities of Jewish survival and the complexities of the Middle East. I

n an emotional interview with *The New York Times* on July 12, 2025, Patinkin, alongside his wife Kathryn Grody and son Gideon, unleashed a torrent of condemnation against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, likening Israel’s defensive measures to a vengeful betrayal of Jewish values. His silence on the barbarity of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, the ongoing hostage crisis, and the relentless terror campaigns against Israeli civilians exposes a selective moral outrage that is as disheartening as it is dangerous.

Patinkin’s remarks, dripping with performative anguish, frame Israel’s campaign against Hamas as “unconscionable” and a stain on Jewish identity worldwide. He invokes his Jewish heritage, claiming it is rooted in justice and memory, yet conveniently omits the memory of October 7,

Patinkin, safely ensconced in his American privilege, seems oblivious to the existential threats Israel faces from a terrorist group openly vowing to repeat October 7 “again and again.” His comparison of Israel’s policies to Inigo Montoya’s quest for revenge is not just a clumsy metaphor but a grotesque distortion. Israel’s operations in Gaza are not about vengeance but survival—a response to an enemy that trains children in summer camps to kill Jews and launches rockets indiscriminately at civilian centers.

Social media has not been kind to Patinkin’s stance. On X, users have lambasted his selective outrage, with one post questioning whether he has ever “stood this hard for a Jewish cause” like the hostages or the constant missile barrages on Israel. Another called his rhetoric “almost antisemitic,” accusing him of framing Jewish morality solely through the lens of self-interest rather than universal ethics.

These criticisms resonate because they expose a deeper truth: Patinkin’s activism lacks the nuance required to grapple with a conflict where one side faces an enemy committed to its annihilation. His call for Jews to “spend some time alone and think” about Israel’s actions ignores the reality that Israelis live with daily threats that no amount of introspection can erase.

Patinkin’s hubris as an actor-turned-pundit is emblematic of a broader malaise among celebrities who mistake fame for expertise. His illustrious career, marked by roles in *Homeland* and *Yentl*, does not qualify him to lecture on the intricacies of Middle Eastern geopolitics. The moral clarity he projects is a luxury afforded by distance, unburdened by the impossible choices Israeli leaders face in defending a nation surrounded by adversaries. His failure to acknowledge the hostages reveals a callous indifference to Jewish suffering. Instead, he parrots talking points that align with a vocal but simplistic strain of Western progressivism, one that often overlooks the barbarity of groups like Hamas while holding Israel to an unattainable standard.

Patinkin’s critique, meant to uphold Jewish values, risks fueling the very antisemitism he claims to oppose. Mandy Patinkin should stick to what he knows: delivering lines with conviction, not crafting foreign policy. The stage is no place for geopolitical grandstanding, and Patinkin’s performance in this arena is one that deserves no applause.