Justin Bieber faces backlash for ‘pray for Israel’ post with Gaza destruction image

WEB DESK: Pop sensation Justin Bieber has stirred controversy and faced fierce backlash after sharing, and subsequently deleting, a ‘Pray for Israel’ post that included an image of the destruction in Gaza.

The post, which emerged days after Hamas’ deadly terrorist attack on Israeli civilians, was removed from his Instagram Stories and replaced with the same message, this time without the inaccurate photo.

In the revised post, Bieber wrote simply, ‘Praying for Israel,’ accompanied by a heartbroken emoji against a green background. However, the initial error caught the attention of Internet users, who criticized the singer on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Social media users expressed their discontent, with one account stating, ‘Another example of celebrities knowing absolutely nothing and reposting the first thing they see.’ Another critic wrote, ‘Giving me “idk what’s going on, but I just wanna be a part of it” vibes,’ highlighting the need for accurate information.

Some users pointed out that a simple Google search could have prevented the embarrassment, emphasizing the responsibility celebrities bear when sharing information with millions of fans. The disconnect between Bieber’s caption ‘Praying for Israel’ and the accompanying image of Gaza did not go unnoticed, with one user remarking, ‘Justin Bieber praying for Israel yet showing a picture of Gaza.’

The criticism continued on social media platforms, with users highlighting the irony of Bieber’s post, as one tweet pointed out, ‘Justin Bieber posts “Praying for Israel” over a picture of Gaza. Y’all can’t even be wrong properly,’ accompanied by crying emojis.

This incident followed Bieber’s previous Instagram Stories statement on the conflict, where he expressed empathy for both Israeli and Palestinian friends. He refrained from taking sides but expressed support for families affected by the ongoing violence.