Oscar-nominated celebrities urged to shun Israel trip offered in gift bag

Oscar-nominated celebrities have been urged to skip a $55,000 (€50,000) trip to Israel offered as part of an awards gift bag.

Two US-based groups campaigning for an end to Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian Territories made the plea in a full-page ad in the LA Times that appeared before the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday.

“#SkipTheTrip. Don’t endorse Israeli apartheid,” said the ad, sponsored by the US Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation and Jewish Voice for Peace.