The Hamas organisation has racked up a body count of over 900 in Israel over the weekend with surprise attacks devastating the nation and inciting some celebrity response.
Restaurateur Keith McNally, who has risen to infamy for his candid claims about rude celebrity diners in his lavish New York City establishment Balthazar, sparked a frenzy within his own network of eateries amid the crisis.
On his Instagram page, Keith left his followers stunned as he followed news of Hamas’ attacks with the statement: “The More Utterly Repugnant The Facts, The Greater The Responsibility Becomes To Listen To The Other Side.”
Countless followers in the comments section declared they would never visit one of his establishments again while sources told Page Six that his business partners, colleagues and industry associates had reportedly pleaded with him to take down the post and confronted him about the remarks.
While earlier today the businessman doubled down on his stance and refused to backtrack his comments, he has now deleted the post and issued an apology.
“I have never once in my life recognized nor supported Hamas. It is a terrorist organization comprising of murderers and thugs,” Keith claimed about the Palestinian militant group.
He told his 114,000 Instagram followers: “I apologize for my post. It is now deleted. Like most people, all I want is peace in the Middle East.”
The speedy U-turn came hours after Keith issued a statement to the aforementioned outlet where he explained his own personal ties to Israel.
Keith claimed that his brother had “risked his life spying” for the country and that he himself lived there for “long stretches of time on an Israeli kibbutz” during the 1970s.
He emphasised in his statement: “I think the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas are vile, barbaric and totally repugnant.”
However, he added: “I stand by what I wrote this morning: THE MORE UTTERLY REPUGNANT THE FACTS, THE GREATER THE RESPONSIBILITY TO LISTEN TO THE OTHER SIDE.”
The restaurateur took the opportunity to clarify his statement, highlighting that while he was advocating for “the other side” to be heard he wasn’t requesting forgiveness or retaliation from Israel, adding: “It simply means listen. There’s nothing to lose by listening. Nothing whatsoever.”
Keith is no stranger to controversy, having risen to some level of infamy for his notoriously candid claims about celebrity diners at his high-end New York establishments, the most recent of which saw him going head-to-head with former Late Late Show host James Corden.
