5 prominent Jews who have criticized the Israeli government's actions

In the West, politicians and media commentators often equate criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism. Even when academics, celebrities or politicians call out the overt mistreatment and slaughter of Palestinians, they are readily condemned by Zionists and supporters of Zionism.

Fortunately, this hasn't been enough to stop a growing movement of activists and others in society who are raising awareness about the atrocities committed by the Israeli government. Even many Jews living in Europe and North America have organized to protest the human rights violations of the Israeli government, sometimes even getting banned from Israel for their activism.

Here's a closer look at a few prominent Jews who have openly criticized the actions of the Israeli government.

Natalie Portman, who was born in Jerusalem and has dual Israeli and American citizenship, took an unexpected stand against Israel this week. It was widely reported that the actress and film producer decided against visiting Israel to receive a prestigious award. 

According to her representative, the decision was driven by "recent events" in Israel, which most likely refers to the Israeli military's violent response to mass demonstrations along the Gaza-Israel border.

The Oscar-winning actress was awarded the Genesis Prize, a one-million-dollar prize granted annually to Jewish people who have made outstanding achievements in their fields. Portman was set to receive the prize, which organizers dub as the "Jewish Nobel Prize," in Israel this June. 

However, Portman has since pulled out of the ceremony, saying she "does not feel comfortable participating in any public events in Israel." 

Portman's representative said recent events in Israel were "extremely distressing to her," without specifying precisely which events sparked her decision. 

Despite having voiced pride in her Jewish and Israeli roots, Portman has previously criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying she is "very much against" him. She also expressed disappointment after his re-election in 2015.

Despite being one of the most prominent Jewish politicians in the United States, Bernie Sanders is also one of the most critical voices in Washington D.C. of Israeli policies toward Palestinians. 

Most recently, he condemned the ongoing aggression the Israeli military has demonstrated against Palestinian protestors. Speaking about the situation in Gaza, Sanders said the Israeli government's actions have only made things worse.

"While Israel withdrew its forces from within Gaza in 2005 its continuing control of Gaza’s air, sea, northern, southern, and eastern borders … have made the humanitarian crisis there even worse," he said, according to The Intercept.

In a tweet about the recent protests, Sanders called the killing of Palestinian demonstrators "tragic." 

"It is the right of all people to protest for a better future without a violent response," he said.

When Jon Stewart bid farewell to his job as the iconic host of The Daily Show in 2015, Al Jazeera published an editorial written by a Palestinian praising the Jewish-American comedian for his willingness to openly criticize Israeli acts of aggression.

"Whether Jon Stewart knows it or not, and whether he likes it or not, he has become a bit of a hero to us Palestinians over the years," Amer Zahr, the Palestinian-American stand-up comedian and law who penned the article wrote.

He cited a particularly powerful comment made by Stewart during the 2014 Gaza War. 

"What are the Gazans supposed to do? Evacuate to where? Have you f***ing seen Gaza?! Israel blocked this border and Egypt blocked this border. What are they supposed to do? Swim for it?!" the comedian said at the time.

Some have even accused Stewart of being a "self-hating Jew" because of his critical comments.  In response to that Stewart quipped: "Look, there’s a lot of reasons why I hate myself — being Jewish isn’t one of them."

Noam Chomsky is one of the most well-known academics and philosophers in the world. He's also a prominent critic of the Israeli government's oppression of Palestinians.

“In the Occupied Territories, what Israel is doing is much worse than apartheid,” Chomsky said in a 2014 interview with Democracy Now. 

“To call it apartheid is a gift to Israel, at least if by 'apartheid' you mean South African-style apartheid. What’s happening in the Occupied Territories is much worse," he said.

Chomsky has also criticized the American media for being "subservient to the grotesque propaganda agencies of a violent, aggressive state [Israel]."

In February, Jewish-American comedian Sarah Silverman threw her support behind detained Palestinian teen activist Ahed Tamimi.

The iconic funny woman and actress called on fellow Jews to "stand up" against the injustice committed by the Israeli government. She expressed the sentiment in a tweet sharing an Amnesty International campaign raising awareness about the 17-year-old's detention.

"Jews have to stand up EVEN when — ESPECIALLY when — the wrongdoing is BY Jews/the Israeli government," Silverman wrote in a Twitter post. 

Silverman has also previously expressed her support for the Israeli state, although she appears to have left-wing and progressive views. Back in 2015, she encourage Israelis to get out and vote for a left-wing political party.