Hollywood A-lister, Mark Ruffalo, has called out PayPal Holdings for its discrimination against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, who are denied access to its digital payment platform, the Middle East Monitor reported.
A vocal critic of Israel’s apartheid against Palestine, he wrote on Twitter:
“Friends: PayPal operates in Israel’s illegal settlements – but is refusing to provide service to Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank, in direct violation of UN guidelines.”
He also attached a link to a petition urging PayPal to offer its services in the Palestinian territories.
Organized by SumOfUs, an international NGO that seeks to counter the power of big businesses, the petition reads, “SumOfUs members like you made a huge difference in getting Ben & Jerry’s to be the first large global corporation to pull out of the illegally Occupied Palestinian Territory in years.”
“Multiple sources within the company said the tens of thousands of you that took action had a huge impact in this decision.”
The petition adds that almost half of those living in Gaza are unemployed, causing many to look to the internet to earn a living.
It calls on readers to “tell PayPal to stop discriminating against Palestinians and offer its services to everyone in Gaza and the West Bank”.
Friends: Paypal operates in Israel’s illegal settlements—but is refusing to provide service to Palestinians in Gaza and West Bank, in direct violation of UN guidelines.
Join the international call to Paypal to end its baseless discrimination now.https://t.co/TdWjNWuEMl
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) June 6, 2022
Following his post, the American Hulk actor, who has previously weighed in on the Palestine issue, was praised for not shying away from condemning Israeli abuses and institutionalized discrimination that violate international law.
Last year, the 54-year-old actor had stated it is time for sanctions to be imposed on Israel to free Palestinians after the Israeli court issued mass eviction orders of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
There is no West Bank, just Occupied Palestine and Gaza is a concentration camp, a prison, guarded by the Israeli Army in Occupied Palestine.