Wonder Woman star, Gal Gadot, is causing controversy after breaking her silence on the recent Israel-Palestine violence. After being crowned Miss Israel 2004 at the age of 18, Gadot's first major film role came in 2009’s Fast & Furious as Gisele Yashar, a role that she reprised in future installments of the franchise. This led to her career-defining role as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman in the DCEU, which launched her into superstardom.
Gadot first appeared as the Amazonian superhero in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice before reprising the role for her solo film, Wonder Woman, and then appearing in another ensemble film, Justice League, in 2017. Gadot’s most recent appearance as Diana Prince came in the sequel to her 2017 solo outing, Wonder Woman 1984. While the sequel was not received nearly as well as the first film, it did not put a damper on the franchise as a third Wonder Woman movie was announced just two days after 1984’s release.
Considered by many to be Israel’s biggest superstar, Gadot often speaks out on issues involving her home country. During the 2014 Israel-Gaza conflict, Gadot posted a photo on Facebook in support of the Israel Defense Forces, which was met with a mixed response. But now, tensions between Israel and Palestine are escalating again over the recent evictions of Palestinians in East Jerusalem. Violence erupted in the region after Hamas fired over 1,000 rockets into Jerusalem this week, and Israel retaliated with multiple airstrikes on Palestine’s Gaza Strip. Gadot released a statement on the recent violence, which immediately drew backlash from fans:
Gadot’s comments became a hotly debated topic on Twitter, mainly due to her use of the word “neighbors” instead of referencing Palestine by name. Some even took issue with her overall support of Israel during the violent conflict. Considering that Gadot was born in Israel and served her mandatory two years as a soldier in the IDF, it is no surprise she supports her home country. It is also understandable some would take issue with her pro-Israel stance, since the country is commonly accused of ethnic cleansing and mass genocide.
As one of the world’s most controversial topics, any discussion of the Israel-Palestine conflict is bound to spark some sort of controversy. In 2017, the country of Lebanon banned the release of Wonder Woman due to Gadot’s involvement and the country’s conflict with Israel. Thus, this is not the first time Gadot has been at the center of an Israel-related controversy, and it likely won't be the last, as long as she remains the face of the Wonder Woman franchise.
Source: Gal Gadot