Seinfeld star Jason Alexander has recalled how a group of Palestinians surrounded him to protect him during an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank, despite his initial fears about visiting Palestine as an American Jew.
The actor, best known for playing George Costanza in the hit American sitcom, shared the experience during a newly released interview on the Build or Break podcast with entrepreneur Daniel Lubetzky.
His account of Palestinian hospitality and solidarity has attracted attention online, offering a striking contrast to the violence Palestinians continue to face under Israeli military occupation and from extremist Jewish settlers.
Alexander described how he had initially been apprehensive about travelling to Palestinian cities during a peace initiative in 2004, fearing that his Jewish identity and American nationality could place him in danger.
"How much of a risk would I be taking as an American Jew walking into Palestinian cities?" he recalled asking before the visit.
A Palestinian man named Mohammed sought to reassure him, explaining the importance of protecting guests in Muslim culture.
"The greatest dishonour that could happen to a religious Muslim is to allow harm to come to an invited guest," Alexander recalled being told. "Jason, if they had to, they'll take a bullet for you."
Alexander said he would later discover just how seriously his Palestinian hosts took that responsibility.
Palestinians surrounded him as Israeli forces raided Ramallah
During a visit to Ramallah, the American actor was having lunch with a group of Palestinian actors and artists at an outdoor restaurant when an Israeli military operation unfolded nearby.
"The Israeli army was conducting a raid on a bank that they thought had terrorist ties a couple blocks away," he recalled.
Alexander described hearing gunfire, which he believed may have been Israeli soldiers firing into the air.
"And they must have, to announce themselves, just shot into the air. And I remember 10 of those guys at the table surrounding me."
Rather than fleeing or leaving their American guest exposed, the Palestinians instinctively gathered around him, according to the actor.
"Oh my God, he wasn't kidding. They're not going to let me get hurt," Alexander recalled thinking.
The incident challenged the fears he had carried into Palestine and left him with a lasting memory of the people he met there.
His account dates back to February 2004, when he visited Israel and the occupied West Bank as part of the OneVoice peace initiative.
An American Prospect report published in March 2004 described Israeli troops conducting an operation in Ramallah during Alexander's visit, with gunfire audible as he attended a press conference.
The report also described the delegation being delayed at an Israeli checkpoint for more than 90 minutes.
Israeli settler terror targets Palestinians and foreign visitors
Alexander's account of Palestinians protecting an American visitor comes amid renewed international outrage over Israeli settler violence in the occupied West Bank, where even foreign diplomats and journalists have become targets.
Last week, masked Israeli settlers violently attacked Palestinian olive harvesters and journalists near the village of Abu Falah, seriously injuring American photojournalist Heidi Levine, who was covering the harvest for The Washington Post.
Levine, who was wearing clothing clearly identifying her as a journalist, was beaten and kicked by settlers, suffering multiple injuries, including fractured vertebrae.
The veteran photographer required hospital treatment and surgery after the assault.
The following day, Israeli settlers attacked a European delegation visiting the Palestinian village of Taybeh, northeast of Ramallah.
The delegation included diplomats from France, Belgium and Poland, as well as French mayor Bernard Baudoux, who was assaulted during the incident.
Masked Israeli settlers also damaged a diplomatic vehicle as the visitors attempted to leave.
The attacks drew international condemnation, including from US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who described the assault on Levine as a "despicable act of terror carried out by masked cowards".
Israeli police subsequently announced arrests in connection with the attacks, although settler violence against Palestinians has long been characterised by a lack of accountability.
According to Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, settlers carried out at least 170 attacks in the occupied West Bank between 27 September and mid-October, as violence intensified during the Palestinian olive harvest.
The attacks have targeted Palestinian farmers attempting to access their own land, as well as activists, journalists and international observers accompanying them.
The olive harvest, a vital source of income and an important cultural tradition for Palestinian communities, has increasingly become a flashpoint for settler violence and Israeli restrictions.
For Palestinians living under decades of military occupation, the attacks form part of a wider struggle against land seizures, illegal Israeli settlement expansion and restrictions on movement.
Alexander's recollection offers a stark contrast to that of his former co-star, Jerry Seinfeld, who is a vocal supporter of Israel and its genocide of the Palestinians.
Recently, footage posted on social media shows multiple pro-Palestine audience members interrupting Seinfeld's show in Chicago, condemning him for his support of Israel and calling him a "genocide apologist" and a "racist".
One heckler shouted at the American comedian, saying, "74,000 Palestinians have been killed by the racist state of Israel", to which Seinfeld replied, "I am a racist, it’s a genocide, I’m into it".