Gwyneth Paltrow is facing backlash after appearing in a campaign for 51 Park, a luxury residential development by Israeli real estate group Aviv Melisron.
The campaign was filmed in New York and will be used to market the Herzliya development in Israel, where penthouses overlooking Herzliya Park are being sold for about $10 million.
In the clip, the Oscar-winning actress is shown waking up in a high-rise apartment, going for an early morning run and getting ready for the day, all while narrating the benefits of living near a park.
“There’s a reason the world’s most iconic buildings are by a park,” says Paltrow in the video, as she tells a driver to take her to “51 Park".
“New York?” he asks.
“Herzliya,” says Paltrow with a smile, “Israel.”
The campaign has drawn criticism online. Alana Hadid, the half-sister of models Bella and Gigi Hadid, criticised the advert, saying the “level of unhinged capitalism” was astounding.
“Brutal. Girl. Have you opened a newspaper or watched the news? This is not even tone deaf, it’s actually complicit,” she wrote.
Similar reactions soon appeared across X. ElbK19 wrote: “Appalling lack of judgement by Gwyneth Paltrow, obsence [sic] to be associated with promoting Israel’s genocide.”
RyanRozbiani wrote: “Gwyneth Paltrow is helping Israel sell stolen coastline apartments. She's the face of 51 Park, two luxury towers on the Herzliya seafront. That beach was the Palestinian village of al-Haram, emptied of its people in 1948. Israelis call it luxury living. The people who were driven off that shore used to call it home.”
Another user, WriteAsRae2, wrote: “Gwyneth Paltrow is basically a parody of herself at this point. I refuse to believe she is this comfortable being the most out-of-touch woman on Earth.”
Meanwhile, investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr wrote on social media: “Would dearly love to have been fly on wall in strategy meetings behind decision by brand Gwyneth Paltrow to shill for Israeli real estate company founded by Netanyahu’s mate accused of various securities frauds to flog a luxury block in the town named after the father of Zionism.”
Paltrow has previously spoken publicly about her Jewish heritage and support for Israel. The actress, whose father, Bruce Paltrow, was Jewish, has said she grew up celebrating Jewish and Christian traditions and has described herself as feeling connected to her Jewish roots.
In 2024, she appeared in a Hanukkah-themed video series with Israeli author and activist Noa Tishby, discussing her family's traditions and heritage. She has also used her social media platforms to share messages supporting Israeli hostages and raising awareness of their plight during the war in Gaza.
