Writers Call Out WGA for Not Speaking Out in Support of Israel Following Hamas Attacks

A group of writers penned an open letter calling out the Writers Guild of America for remaining silent following the Israel–Hamas War, despite SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America putting out statements denouncing the Hamas terrorist attacks.

The writers — including Eli Roth, Jenji Kohan, Jerry Seinfeld, Amy Sherman-Palladino and many more — pointed out that the WGA has always supported causes like Black Lives Matter and the #MeToo movement.

“But when terrorists invaded Israel to murder, rape, and kidnap Jews… the Guild stayed silent,” the letter reads. “We are a group of screenwriters who wish to clearly and forcefully condemn the heinous crimes committed by Hamas against innocent civilians.”

The letter continues, “The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people is complex and full of nuance, but the crimes committed on October 7th were simple and cruel. If we cannot stand up to call it what it is — a monstrous act of barbarity — then we have lost the plot.”

Writers who have signed their names in support of the letter — which comes a week after Hamas’ initial terrorist attacks that launched the Israel-Hamas War — include Sarah Treem, Noah Oppenheim, Mike Weiss, Marc Guggenheim and Gabriel Sherman. The letter follows another one penned by 700 celebrities and entertainment executives in support of Israel.

The Hollywood Reporter reached out to the WGA for comment.

SAG-AFTRA’s statement released on Friday condemns the “horrific acts of aggression against the Israeli people” and called the attacks a “fundamental violation of human rights and dignity,” adding that “there is no justification for the murder and kidnapping of civilians.”

In its own statement, the DGA also condemned the attacks and violence against civilians. “We stand against the growing spread of antisemitism here in the US and abroad, and remain committed in our actions, words and deeds to supporting the Jewish people,” it read.

Read the writers’ full letter below.

As screenwriters, we know that words matter. We spend weeks, months, years agonizing over getting the story straight, the dialogue, message.

But we also write the silences. They are scripted in the whites of the page and they speak volumes. Every lack of response, every blind-eye turned, every coward who says nothing in the face of cruelty. We write it all. Silence as ignorance. Silence as indifference. Silence as inaction.

When it comes to taking a stand, the Writers Guild of America has always led by example. When employers sought to exploit our work, the Guild bravely spoke up. When the BLM movement took flight, the Guild rightfully spoke up. When the #MeToo reckoning came and Hollywood needed to change, again the Guild spoke up.

But when terrorists invaded Israel to murder, rape, and kidnap Jews… the Guild stayed silent.

It remains the only major Hollywood union to do so.

We are a group of screenwriters who wish to clearly and forcefully condemn the heinous crimes committed by Hamas against innocent civilians.

The conflict between Israel and the Palestinian people is complex and full of nuance, but the crimes committed on October 7th were simple and cruel. If we cannot stand up to call it what it is — a monstrous act of barbarity — then we have lost the plot.

We sign our names to this letter as individuals, apart from our union, but united in our shared humanity and duty to denounce evil where we see it.