Emmy-winning actress Hannah Einbinder turned to Thursday to shift the spotlight away from her arrest onto the ongoing war in Gaza and southern Lebanon, only hours after being arrested during a demonstration against the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak at the U.N. General Assembly.
The star of the HBO series “Hacks” was among the protesters detained at the demonstration staged near the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, at First Avenue and East 39th Street, before Netanyahu’s speech to other world leaders. Jewish Voice for Peace, an activist organization that supports Palestinians, organized the demonstration.
In her Instagram story, published after being released from jail, Einbinder writes the following:
“If the pictures of my friends and me getting arrested in protest of Netanyahu’s shameful visit to New York draw attention to anything, let it be to the devastating genocidal war Israel is waging against the people of Palestine and Southern Lebanon, to the settler attacks, the home demolitions, the bombing of people as they sleep; to the crimes that happen every SINGLE day but garner almost no international press coverage.”
Einbinder criticizes the U.S. government for welcoming Netanyahu.
“The US government has the power to bring an end to all this killing, pillaging, and land theft, yet instead it chooses to welcome the butcher of Gaza with open arms,” she says.
Moreover, Einbinder is criticizing both major American political parties.
“The fact that the orchestrator of all this bloodshed is roaming freely in our cities is an indictment of BOTH REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS who enable and protect architects of genocide like Netanyahu. Let us not mistake the spectacle for the story: genocide is the headline, and it is time for it to end.”
In another Instagram story, Einbinder posts a link to Pal Humanity, an initiative by Palestinian doctors from Gaza that helps people in need by providing emergency medical care, food, water, shelters, and education to displaced families.
Videos are spreading online, showing how Einbinder was being led away by the police in handcuffs. “Free Palestine,” says Einbinder, as she is leaving with police officers. “Netanyahu out of New York.”
Susan Sarandon, an actress, and Caleb Hearon, a comedian, were also detained by police. Among those detained were Darializa Avila Chevalier, the Democrat’s nominee for New York’s 13th Congressional District; Chi Ossé, a City Council member; Chelsea Manning; and Linda Sarsour. Actress Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Sherman from “Saturday Night Live” were also present at the protest, and Einbinder was photographed with Sherman. Elliot Page, an actor, also attended the demonstration but was not arrested, according to sources.
The demonstration began at noon, two hours before Netanyahu began his speech, when protesters gathered at the intersection and blocked traffic for more than an hour. According to a New York Police Department spokesperson, police officers responded to information about the unscheduled demonstration that blocked traffic. At the same time, participants did not leave even after being warned.
Roughly 100 people were arrested in two separate actions organized by the Jewish Voice for Peace: a sit-in demonstration and a march through Midtown organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement. The Jewish Voice for Peace reported that more than 400 people, including actors, organizers, and politicians, participated in the action.
“We’re here not just to oppose Netanyahu but to say stop arming Israel and the genocide,” Stefanie Fox, the organization’s executive director, says.
At the U.N. hall, dozens of delegates stood and left as Netanyahu began his speech. Netanyahu criticized Iran in his speech and defended Israel’s war in Gaza. Israel has been rejecting all the accusations of conducting genocide, stating that the military actions of Israel target only the members of the Hamas terrorist group, and not the civilian population.
Netanyahu is under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court in 2024 for war crimes allegations in Gaza. New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, pledged to have police arrest Netanyahu during his visit to New York. However, he withdrew the pledge in July after the city’s Law Department said the city cannot issue the arrest warrant.
Einbinder recently defended actor Mark Ruffalo against an accusation of antisemitism from Paramount Skydance for opposing the studio’s deal with Warner Bros. Discovery. At the Venice Film Festival, Susan Sarandon said she has lost her film roles because she supported Palestinians.
