Kuwait’s Information Ministry says Gal Gadot’s latest film shouldn’t be screened in country because she served in the IDF.
Kuwait banned the screening of the new Gal Gadot film Death on the Nile, just days before the movie was set to be released in the country.
In a statement on Sunday, Kuwait’s Information Ministry said the decision was made in part due to her status as a “former soldier in the Zionist occupying army.” Gadot served as a fitness instructor during her two years of mandatory IDF service.
In 2017, Kuwait banned Wonder Woman, in which Gadot played the leading role. At the time, the Ministry cited her Israeli nationality as grounds for preventing the movie from being screened.
The Times Kuwait praised the move to ban the upcoming film, writing that it should be boycotted by Arab countries because Gadot had “called for the…killing of Gaza children during the 2014 aggression.”
In reality, Gadot posted a Facebook photo in 2014 praying over Shabbat candles during Operation Protective Edge, writing that she was “sending my love and prayers to my fellow Israeli citizens.”
Referencing the “horrific acts conducted by Hamas, who are hiding like cowards behind women and children,” Gadot never called for the deaths of Gazans.
She also included the hashtags #coexistence and #FreeGazaFromHamas. The latter is used to express solidarity with residents of Gaza who are suffering due to the terror group’s cruelty.
However, it appears that widespread anti-Israel sentiment throughout the Arab world has found a convenient outlet in Gadot, as social media users called for the film to be banned in other countries in the region.
Notably, the male lead in Death on the Nile is Bollywood actor Ali Fazal, who is a Muslim of Indian heritage.
In an early January Instagram post, Fazal posted a still from the movie of himself and Gadot, writing that he had a great experience on set and thanking the cast and crew.
“To every technician on this film, thank you for your hard work and perseverance. I sure…look good here, and you too @gal_gadot,” he wrote as the caption, tagging his co-star.
Gadot responded by leaving a heart in the comments, which became the most-liked response to the post.