Leonardo DiCaprio faces backlash for co-financing hotel in Israel
According to Israeli business newspaper Globes, the Tel Aviv District Planning and Building Committee has approved the construction of the 51,000 square metre project. The Jerusalem Post also reports that the eco-certified resort at Herzliya Marina Hotel will consist of 14 floors and 365 rooms.
DiCaprio, who is currently a United Nations Messenger for Peace, will hold a 10 per cent stake in the project, with the remaining shares divided between The Hagag Group and brothers Ahikam and Lior Cohen.
Announced in March 2018, the project was originally planned to have 180 suites spread across two six-storey buildings, but has since expanded significantly. The complex will also include a conference centre, a fine dining restaurant and retail spaces, designed by Rani Zeese Architects.
The move has made headlines due to the country's ongoing conflict in Gaza, and has garnered much criticism online.
Author and activist Shaun King took to X to criticise DiCaprio, writing: 'While Gaza Starves, Leonardo DiCaprio Is Building a 14-Story Luxury Hotel in Israel' and accusing him of 'profiting from apartheid during a genocide'.
Other online users did not hold back:
DiCaprio has previously been involved in several projects in Israel, including investments in Mobli, a social media startup, and Aleph Farms, a farmed meat company.
The actor has yet to comment on the criticism he has received.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
4 days ago
- Euronews
Albanese: 'Sanctions against me? An attack on the heart of multilateralism'
Two conferences, one in the lower house on Tuesday and another in the Senate on Thursday - were held to discuss the UN Rapporteur's latest report, titled 'From an Economy of Occupation to an Economy of Genocide.' The initiative was led by the Parliamentary Intergroup for Peace between Palestine and Israel, composed mostly of opposition parties. Francesca Albanese, in a months-long investigation, documents what she calls "the logic of profit", one of the reasons why, she says, "the genocide in Gaza continues". "It is on this theme that I shed light in my latest report," Albanese tells Euronews. "It shows how 48 companies, illustrative of a system, having supported the economy of the Israeli occupation - which has completely deflated the possibility for Palestinians to exist, as a people in a state or as individuals with fundamental rights - now profit from what has become an economy of genocide. And the idea that there are those who profit economically from this is absolutely unbearable", she adds. Albanese, in a conference at the Senate, explained why, in her opinion, Italy is complicit. Justice and the defence of international law, she stressed, have no political affiliation. "The law is crystal clear. In January 2024, the International Court of Justice recognised the risk of genocide", Albanese said, "from there the responsibilities of the Italian government are triggered" "Italy is not a state like the others in Europe: a state silent in the face of genocide. The government', she added, 'and I am sorry to say this as an Italian, is one of the most assiduous voices in defence of its partnership with the State of Israel'. The military industry is under the spotlight in Albanese's investigation.'There is an Italian company like Leonardo,' Albanese told Euronews, 'but in reality, there are also Italian universities and other entities I am investigating.' The Rapporteur also referred to what she describes as 'a crisis of credibility among companies.'She argues that claiming to follow due diligence is 'a promise made to the public, but one that is often not backed up by facts. It's an inconsistency that goes far beyond a moral issue'. Opposition parties call the government's attitude unacceptable, as it has chosen not to take a stand against one of its own citizens, a victim of sanctions. Despite this Albanese reiterates her will to continue his work. "I have just finished an investigation that is costing me a lot and that leaves me unmoved in the defence of legality. I have been - and I hope I will be the last - international official to suffer this punishment. It is an attack on the heart of multilateralism. And, given my southern origins, I know what makes this mafia logic win: silence'. The report also points the finger at companies in the technology sector that have sold products normally intended for civil purposes, but then used in military operations. To clarify responsibility and put an end to the genocide, the report says, the private sector is called to account and international law to ascertain the facts. Meanwhile the director of the Jewish Brigade Museum, Davide Romano, harshly criticised Francesca Albanese's participation in the conferences held in the House and Senate. Linking her presence to the attack that took place in Milan against two French citizens of Jewish origin, Romano called the decision to invite her 'an inappropriate gesture'. 'It seems crazy to me,' he said, 'her report fuels a climate of hatred'.
Euronews
4 days ago
- Euronews
Leonardo DiCaprio faces backlash for co-financing hotel in Israel
Hollywood superstar Leonardo DiCaprio is under fire for reportedly co-financing a new luxury hotel near Tel Aviv, Israel. According to Israeli business newspaper Globes, the Tel Aviv District Planning and Building Committee has approved the construction of the 51,000 square metre project. The Jerusalem Post also reports that the eco-certified resort at Herzliya Marina Hotel will consist of 14 floors and 365 rooms. DiCaprio, who is currently a United Nations Messenger for Peace, will hold a 10 per cent stake in the project, with the remaining shares divided between The Hagag Group and brothers Ahikam and Lior Cohen. Announced in March 2018, the project was originally planned to have 180 suites spread across two six-storey buildings, but has since expanded significantly. The complex will also include a conference centre, a fine dining restaurant and retail spaces, designed by Rani Zeese Architects. The move has made headlines due to the country's ongoing conflict in Gaza, and has garnered much criticism online. Author and activist Shaun King took to X to criticise DiCaprio, writing: 'While Gaza Starves, Leonardo DiCaprio Is Building a 14-Story Luxury Hotel in Israel' and accusing him of 'profiting from apartheid during a genocide'. Other online users did not hold back: DiCaprio has previously been involved in several projects in Israel, including investments in Mobli, a social media startup, and Aleph Farms, a farmed meat company. The actor has yet to comment on the criticism he has received.
Euronews
6 days ago
- Euronews
Pro-Palestine group protests arrival of Israeli cruise ship on Crete
Demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza protested against the arrival of an Israeli cruise ship on another Greek island on Tuesday, the third such rally in Greece in the last week. Protesters on the southern island of Crete unfurled a huge Palestinian flag at the port of Agios Nikolaos and shouted "Free, free Palestine" as the tourists on board the Crown Iris disembarked and left on buses for their tours of the island, according to images shown on local media outlets. Riot police kept the crowd away from the pier where the cruise ship was docked, while scuffles broke out between demonstrators and police. Local media reported that officers used pepper spray at one point to keep the crowd back. Four people were detained, local media said. Video showed police leading one man away, his arms cuffed behind his back. Similar scenes unfolded the previous day when the Crown Iris docked in a port on the eastern Greek island of Rhodes, where clashes broke out between riot police and demonstrators calling for an end to the war in Gaza. There also, the cruise ship's passengers disembarked for tours of the island and no violence was reported. Anti-war protesters on Greece's island of Syros were the first to hold a demonstration against the docking of the Crown Iris on 22 July. The crowd of about 150 people chanted slogans and carried banners that read "Stop the Genocide" and "No a/c in hell," a reference to the conditions Palestinians face in Gaza. On that occasion, the ship's roughly 1,700 passengers didn't disembark and the ship left the island earlier than planned, with the company operating the trip, Israel's Mano Cruise, saying it had "decided in light of the situation in the city of Syros to now sail to another tourist destination." Last week's incident had triggered a phone call by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar to his Greek counterpart, George Gerapetritis. Greece is a popular tourist destination for Israelis on package tours and traveling independently, particularly in the summer months, and there are several flights per day between Tel Aviv and Athens, as well as from Israeli airports directly to Greek islands.
