CAA’s Maha Dakhil Steps Away From Management Position After Israel-Hamas Remarks

After apologizing for remarks made following Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on Israel, CAA’s co-chief of the movement footage division Maha Dakhil is stepping away from her management position within the division. Moreover she’s resigning from the Century Metropolis-based agency’s inner company board.

Dakhil, whose shoppers embrace Tom Cruise, Natalie Portman, Reese Witherspoon, Anne Hathaway and extra, got here underneath scrutiny for an Instagram put up that had been extremely essential of Israel and referenced “genocide.” That put up was later deleted and the agent apologized for the remarks.

“I made a mistake with a repost in my Instagram story, which used hurtful language,” Dakhil wrote in an Oct. 19 assertion. “Like so many people, I’ve been reeling with heartbreak. I satisfaction myself on being on the aspect of humanity and peace. I’m so grateful to Jewish pals and colleagues who identified the implications and additional educated me. I instantly took the repost down. I’m sorry for the ache I’ve brought on.”

As phrase of the put up reverberated throughout city, consideration turned to what motion, if any, that the Bryan Lourd-run main company — which was topic to a number of headlines concerning the feedback — would absorb response. Whereas Dakhil won’t lead the movement footage division, she’s going to proceed to work with shoppers.

The shake-up displays the fraught social media surroundings within the weeks since Hamas’ terrorist assault on Israel, which killed greater than 1,400 folks, and the nation’s airstrike response in Gaza. Leaders like Jonathan Greenblatt, who runs the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), have inspired Hollywood voices to talk out firmly in favor of Israel, arguing, “In gentle of how distorting social media algorithms can current the world, it’s much more vital for these voices to chop by means of.” Earlier this yr, the ADL revealed a report stating that 2022 noticed a “record-setting” variety of antisemitic incidents (together with harassment and vandalism) in Los Angeles.

However whereas main studios — together with Disney, Paramount and Comcast — issued donations to humanitarian organizations after the assault and executives like Bob Iger and Shari Redstone condemned Hamas’ actions, there’s been a groundswell of activist consideration in Hollywood on the perceived lack of comparable help for the Palestinian folks.

Within the days following the assault, a petition circulated with 700-plus leisure business names signing an open letter in help of Israel, which included signatures of the highest execs at CAA together with Lourd and co-chairmen Richard Lovett and Kevin Huvane. “The open letter calls on the leisure group to talk out forcefully towards Hamas, to help Israel,” that word learn.

Shortly after, an A-list group of at the least 57 stars put their identify to a letter addressed to President Biden to name for a ceasefire in Gaza. “We imagine all life is sacred, regardless of religion or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians,” that letter learn.

The battle has raised a debate about when and the way Hollywood corporations ought to weigh in on a divisive subject that has fractured opinion amongst sometimes liberal-leaning executives and expertise. Whereas the Administrators Guild and SAG-AFTRA launched statements on Oct. 11 and Oct. 13 deploring the preliminary Hamas assault, the Writers Guild of America held off from remark because the board was divided on a response and in the end didn’t make an announcement.