Actress and director Einat Weizman, who identifies as anti-Zionist and is a member of the Balad party, has announced that she will move to Athens, Greece, in the coming days with her partner and their two daughters.
In an interview with Haaretz, Weizman, who appeared in the films Operation Grandma and Colombian Love, said the decision followed years of professional and personal difficulties stemming from her political views and public criticism of Israel.
"I've been thinking about it for three years, and now the time has come to do it," she said. "It has become harder for me to be myself and make my kind of art here, as someone who is very outspoken about her political views."
Weizman said her public statements had repeatedly triggered hostile reactions and affected her ability to earn a living. "Whenever something I've said or written appears in the media, I get a lot of hate, and that also makes it hard for me to earn a living here. I've been fired and suspended by institutions where I taught."
One incident that particularly affected her was the termination of her representation by the Zohar Yakobson agency, which had represented her since childhood. Weizman said her photograph was removed from the agency's website, and she later discovered that the decision was connected to a social media post she published following the announcement of the Gaza ceasefire.
In the post, she shared a photograph of journalists from Gaza alongside the caption: "The brave and strong people of this genocide. You deserve to celebrate."
Weizman also said her decision to leave Israel was driven by her difficulty living in the country during the war in Gaza.
"For the past three years, it has been hard to live here because of the genocide. I simply know too much to be able to lead a normal life in the Tel Aviv bubble," she said.
"I can't sit in a café and drink wine without being constantly aware that people are being expelled from their homes and going hungry in Gaza," she added.
Weizman concluded with further criticism of Israel, saying she could no longer tolerate living in the country.
"I can't mentally bear to stay in this place, can't pay taxes here and can't be part of the murderous madness happening here," she said.