Frank Ocean is notoriously reclusive despite being extremely famous and influential, but even he has emerged from his refuge to chime in on the deteriorating state of Gaza as violence in the region continues to intensify.
In late October, United Nations human rights official Craig Mokhiber stepped down from his post to protest what he referred to as “a genocide unfolding before our eyes,” and the intergovernmental organization’s failure to extinguish it.
In a resignation letter addressed to UN high commissioner Volker Turk, he wrote: “The European, ethno-nationalist, settler colonial project in Palestine has entered its final phase, toward the expedited destruction of the last remnants of indigenous Palestinian life in Palestine. What’s more, the governments of the United States, the United Kingdom, and much of Europe, are wholly complicit in the horrific assault.”
On Thursday (November 2), soon after the lengthy dispatch began making the rounds online, Frank Ocean shared it via his Instagram Story.
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Without directly speaking on the matter, he appears to have taken a stance on it. Last week, when Bella Hadid posted a message on social media detailing the “generational trauma of [her] Palestinian blood,” he was among the millions to like it.
According to Al Jazeera, over 8,500 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli Defense Forces in the aftermath of the early-October Hamas attacks that claimed the lives of at least 1,400 civilians, with more than 200 people subsequently being taken hostage.
Soon after the conflict began spiraling out of control, DJ Vlad publicly criticized Drake and DJ Khaled for not using their respective platforms to try and positively influence the narratives surrounding the increasing death toll.
“It’s a serious topic,” the YouTube host said during an interview with The Breakfast Club. “And when I sat back and looked at it, I was like, Drake is the most famous Jewish person on Earth … and Khaled is the most famous Palestinian in the world. But neither one of them has said anything about this at all.”
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Two weeks later, Drake and other celebrities signed an open letter to President Joe Biden and the United States Congress calling for “an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost.”
The petition, backed by names like Vic Mensa, Boots Riley and Kehlani, urges “Congress, and all world leaders to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay – an end to the bombing of Gaza and the safe release of hostages.”
