Mel Gibson did not post on social media about ‘the end’ of Israel
FILE - Mel Gibson arrives at the 89th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Feb. 6, 2017. Gibson has not posted on social media about “the end” of Israel, as some users have falsely claimed. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
CLAIM: An image shows a social media post by actor Mel Gibson about “the end” of Israel and the country’s desire to “destroy everything” in its way.
AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The post was not made by Gibson, who does not have any public social media accounts, the actor’s publicist told The Associated Press.
THE FACTS: As fighting continues in the latest Israel-Hamas war, some online are sharing the image to falsely suggest that the “Braveheart” star has weighed in.
The image is made to look like a social media post, with a profile photo of Gibson alongside his name and a time stamp, although it isn’t quite the same layout as a post on major platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or X, formerly known as Twitter.
The “post” features a picture of the Israeli flag with an hourglass in the center instead of the Star of David, and is captioned: “Soon the end and they know it, that’s why they want to destroy everything in the way.”
But Alan Nierob, Gibson’s publicist, told the AP in an email that the actor “did not make the post.” Moreover, he confirmed that Gibson “doesn’t have any public social media accounts.”
Gibson made antisemitic remarks during an arrest in 2006 and his 2004 blockbuster, “The Passion of the Christ,” was criticized by some Jewish organizations and reviewers for portraying Jews as responsible for the death of Jesus.
The latest Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7 after Hamas launched a deadly incursion into southern Israeli towns. It has quickly become the deadliest and most destructive war fought between the sides since Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 from the Palestinian Authority.
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This is part of AP’s effort to address widely shared misinformation, including work with outside companies and organizations to add factual context to misleading content that is circulating online. Learn more about fact-checking at AP.