An investment group involving Leonardo DiCaprio has reportedly received final approval to build a luxury hotel near Tel Aviv, Israel. The actor holds a 10% stake in the sprawling beachfront project, with the rest split between The Harag Group and brothers Ahikam and Lior Cohen.
According to The Jerusalem Post, the eco-certified resort at Herzliya Marina will consist of 14 floors with 365 rooms, following a request that dramatically expanded the project from its originally proposed 10,000 square meters in 2018 to its current 51,000 square meters.
DiCaprio, a longtime environmental activist, has apparently spearheaded the hotel’s sustainability effort and its goal of compliance with the US Green Building Council and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.
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“Green environmental development is a significant part of building communities that work in partnership with nature and not against it,” he said when the project was announced. “As we seek to create a future that heads off the most severe effects of climate change, we need projects that push for new developments in environmental design.”
Beyond environmental concerns, however, a greater controversy has emerged, with critics questioning how DiCaprio’s investment aligns with his role as a United Nations Messenger for Peace.
As Far Out Magazine points out, he has been silent on the conflict in Gaza, which UN Secretary-General António Guterres described in July 2024 as a “humanitarian catastrophe of epic proportions” and “a moral stain on us all.”
As of now, DiCaprio has yet to respond to the criticism.
