Gwyneth Paltrow sparks wave of criticism - and praise - for starring in new campaign for luxury Israeli housing development

By SABRINA PENTY, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 09:57, 10 June 2026 | Updated: 09:59, 10 June 2026 Gwyneth Paltrow has sparked a wave of both criticism and praise after starring in a new campaign for a luxury residential development in Israel.  In a video for the project, the American actress, 53, is shown waking up in a high-rise apartment building and getting ready for the day, all while listing the benefits of living near a park.  'There's a reason the world's most iconic buildings are by a park,' she says in the video, as she tells a driver to take her to '51 Park' - a major luxury residential development in the affluent Israeli city of Herzliya.  But Paltrow's collaboration with Israeli real estate group Aviv Melisron has divided opinions on social media, with several users accusing her of supporting the country's war in Gaza and Lebanon.  One X account said: 'Gwyneth Paltrow promotes $10M penthouses in Herzliya while Gaza burns and Lebanon bleeds,' while another accused the celebrity of being 'consciously uncoupled from morality.' 'Something deeply unspeakably sinister about this thin, wealthy, white woman looking for any possible opportunity to collaborate with a state committing genocide in across at least two states,' another Internet user wrote.  'She signed a $10M contract with the murderers of 17,000 children in Gaza,' an X user said.  But other social media users came to Paltrow's defence, praising her for remaining proud of her Jewish heritage and showing support for Israel at a time when there has been a surge in antisemitism around the world following Hamas's October 7, 2023, attacks.  Gwyneth Paltrow (pictured) is facing backlash after starring in a new campaign for a luxury residential development in Israel  In a video for the project, the American actress, 53, is shown waking up in a high-rise apartment building Paltrow's collaboration is with Israeli real estate group Aviv Melisron, which is developing a major luxury residential development in the affluent Israeli city of Herzliya Screengrab shows Park 51, the residential development being promoted by Paltrow 'Paltrow, who is Jewish, has spoken out consistently against antisemitism and raised her voice to free the hostages,' one X account wrote.  'So many has-been celebs demonize Israel to revive failing careers. The biggest stars know that refusing to dehumanize Israelis isn't just great business. It's the right thing to do,' the social media user added.  Another said: 'Props to Oscar-winning actress @Gwyneth Paltrow for agreeing to be the face of an advertising campaign for an apartment complex project in Herzliya, Israel.  'Gwyneth has not allowed woke cancel culture prevent her from showing her Jewish pride or using her platform to raise awareness of the Israeli hostages' plight as she did after October 7. So this doesn't surprise me. Thank you Gwyneth for standing on the right side of history.'  Paltrow has previously spoken publicly about her Jewish heritage and support for Israeli hostages who were taken into Gaza.  The October 7 attacks saw 1,200 Israelis killed and dozens abducted, and plunged the region into a devastating war.  Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and displaced most of the population of some two million, often multiple times, before a fragile ceasefire took hold in October.  Its latest war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon has killed some 3,500 people and displaced over 1.2 million.  Both campaigns have drawn allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which Israel has adamantly denied. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.