Dua Lipa says that while it can be “easy to be apolitical” as a music star, she feels the need to continue speaking out about the Israel-Hamas war and calling for a “humanitarian ceasefire.”
“I don't think there's a deep discussion about war and oppression. That's what we've seen over and over again,” the “Lover” singer said. in an interview Published in Rolling Stone on Tuesday.
“Being a musician, I feel like just posting about something doesn't bring enough change, but just showing solidarity if you can. Sometimes I feel like that's all I can do.” the 28-year-old songstress said. she said.
The performer, who was born in England's capital to Albanian parents, said: “My existence is political in a way, the fact that I lived in London because my parents left the war.”
“I feel sorry for the people who have to leave their homes. From my experience of being in Kosovo and understanding what war means, no one wants to leave their homes. I did it to protect myself, to save my family, to take care of the people around me, to have a better life. So it feels close to that.”
“My feelings towards refugees [are] It's a difficult topic to talk about because it's very real and raw and it's very divisive,” Ripa said.
“I am very sorry for the Israeli lives lost and for what happened on October 7,” she said, referring to the terrorist attack by Hamas, the militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, that killed more than 1,200 Israelis. talked about. Ripa, along with other celebrities, signed an open letter to President Biden just weeks after the attack urging him to “facilitate a ceasefire without delay.”
“What we have to focus on right now is how many lives have been lost in Gaza, innocent civilians, and lives that are being lost right now. There just aren't enough world leaders standing up and speaking out about the humanitarian ceasefire that needs to happen,” Ripa said.
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed published last month, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlighted three preconditions for peace amid Israeli attacks and shelling that have killed thousands of Palestinians: It outlined the destruction, demilitarization of Gaza, and the beginning of a deradicalization process. About Palestinian society.
In 2021, Ripa denounced a New York Times ad by Rabbi Shmuli Boteach's World Values Network that accused Ripa and other celebrities of anti-Semitism.[vilifying] “The Jewish state over its support for the Palestinian people.”
“I stand in solidarity with all oppressed people and reject all forms of racism,” she wrote on Instagram at the time.
Ripa told Rolling Stone that the accusations made her feel like she was “in danger.”
“I was put in a place where my core values were completely turned upside down. It really hurt, because when you want to talk about something, people see it as it is and there There's no malicious intent, because I want there to be truth,'' she said.
Ripa, who founded the editorial platform Service95, told the magazine that some critics may be surprised by her choice to speak out on hot-button issues.
“I think that's what people want in a pop star,” the Grammy winner said.
“They don't want you to be political. They don't want you to be smart,” she said.
“I'm not trying to prove myself that way, but there's a lot more to me than what I'm doing.”
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
