- Title: ISRAEL: Actor Jon Voight arrives in Israel to celebrate 60th anniversary
- Date: 14th May 2008
- Summary: SDEROT, ISRAEL (MAY 13, 20080 (REUTERS) REMAINS OF ROCKETS LAUNCHED TOWARDS SDEROT FROM GAZA, STORED ON METAL SHELVES AMERICAN ACTOR JON VOIGHT LOOKING AT ROCKET (SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI INTERNAL SECURITY MINISTER, AVI DICHTER, BRIEFING VOIGHT AND SAYING: "The Hamas in Gaza Strip is one arm of the two arms in this region of the Iranian system. They have Hezbollah, Ha
- Embargoed: 29th May 2008 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Israel
- Country: Israel
- Topics: International Relations,Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
- Reuters ID: LVACRTNFK3PRX40YK1TSGQIYU9QG
- Story Text: American actor Jon Voight visits southern Israeli town of Sderot, in show of sympathy to residents living under regular rocket fire. Sderot is often a target of rockets fired by Palestinian militants in the Gaza strip.
Academy award winning American actor Jon Voight arrived to Israel this week, to celebrate the state's 60th anniversary. On Tuesday (May 13), Voight visited the southern Israeli town of Sderot, a community that's often the target of rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza.
Voight visited a storage house for Qassam rocket shrapnel, and mortars launched towards the town. The actor met Israeli Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter, who briefed him on the security situation in the region.
"The Hamas in Gaza Strip is one arm of the two arms in this region of the Iranian system. They have Hezbollah, Hamas in here, in Gaza, and the goal of Hamas is how to transfer their capabilities from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank," Dichter told Voight.
During the visit Voight met with Eli Moyal, Mayor of Sderot, who received an autographed copy of the file "The Champ", one of Voight's most celebrated movies. Later, Voight visited a kindergarten and an elementary school and toured several houses that were damaged in rocket attacks.
Voight, father of actor Angelina Jolie, spoke to reporters about his daughter's upcoming birth.
"Angelina right now is going to have a baby soon... the press is saying she may even have twins. I don't know. I'm just the father,"
Voight told reporters.
Voight and Jolie are not on speaking terms, but the actor has confessed in interviews recently that he still looks up to his estranged daughter. The discord between Voight and Jolie has been going on since 2002. It came about after Voight said during a TV interview that Jolie had "severe emotional problems" - a statement that could have potentially put Jolie's adoption of her eldest son Maddox in jeopardy.
Jolie, and partner Bard Pitt, are already parents to four children - adopted children Maddox, six; Pax, four; Zahara, three; and biological daughter Shiloh, age two.
Voight's visit to Israel was arranged by 'Chabad's Children of Chernobyl' organisation, which Voight has represented as speaker for over 15 years. The organisation describes itself as a humanitarian medical relief programme for Russian Jewish children. The organisation is currently arranging for a group of children from Sderot to travel to the United States in July 2008. The children are expected to visit New York and Los Angeles.
On Wednesday, Voight is scheduled to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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