The tortuous history of Wonder Woman has taken another twist: Lebanon has officially banned the new DC comic book movie blockbuster on the grounds that the movie’s star Gal Gadot is Israeli and previously served in the country’s military.
The ban followed an initiative by the Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel, which urged the Lebanese government’s Ministry of Economy and Trade to nix the release of the movie just hours before its release. According to reports, the Lebanese Interior Ministry banned the film acting on a recommendation from the General Security directorate.
The formal request to ban Wonder Woman was first made by the Ministry of Economy and Trade, which oversees a long-standing policy of boycotting Israeli exports, which it considers “enemy attempts to infiltrate our markets.”
Lebanon and Israel are officially at war, but have observed a United Nations-monitored ceasefire since 2006 that has largely been observed.
But the decision to ban Wonder Woman took Lebanese movie theaters by surprise. Film distributor Tony Chacra of the company Joseph Chacra and Sons told Reuters the ban was “very frustrating…the movie has nothing to do with Israel.”
Even though previous movies starring Gadot such as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Furious 7 enjoyed successful releases in Lebanon, the nation now takes strong exception to Gadot. That’s because she served two years in the Israeli Defense Forces (military service is mandatory for Israel citizens). Gadot excelled so much in boot camp that she became a combat trainer.
The fact that Wonder Woman was financed by America and Chinese film companies and not bankrolled by Israel also cuts no ice with Lebanese authorities. In a Facebook post, the Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel stated Gadot had “boasted about the army training her for Hollywood.”
Social justice warriors renewing their pledges to boycott the movie on Twitter on the grounds Gadot is a “Zionist” is hardly helping matters.
Boycott her movie “Wonder Woman”,
Gal Gadot, an ex Zionist occupation soldier, she publicly supported the… https://t.co/erzrOYFTFf— Younes Arar (@ArarYounes) May 31, 2017
Boycott #WonderWoman since the lead actress @GalGadot is a Zionist and believes that #palestinians are terrorists!https://t.co/sGJVIXz4yt
— Amy Arsamakova (@amyarsamakova) May 30, 2017
Boycott Wonder Woman cause Gal Gadot is a zionist who promotes killing kids. She doesn’t even look remotely like WW either.
— The Muffin Man (@Snixtysnixt) May 20, 2017
At least a semi-artistic reason crept into that last tweet…
