Gal Gadot has been the top trend in the US, India, and UK Twitter and sadly not for the right reasons. The Wonder Woman actress is the latest victim of the internet's cancel culture amid the Israel-Palestine conflict that has got the world leaders divided.
On May 12, Israeli actress Gal Gadot strongly advocated peace when she took to Twitter to share her concern over the crisis taking place in her country. "My heart breaks. My country is at war. I worry for my family, my friends. I worry for my people. This is a vicious cycle that has been going on for far too long. Israel deserves to live as a free and safe nation, our neighbours deserve the same. I pray for the victims and their families, I pray for this unimaginable hostility to end, I pray for our leaders to find the solution so we could live side by side in peace. I pray for better days."
Ever since her tweet, the actress has been criticised for supporting Israel. Adult film actress Mia Khalifa even went on to call her a 'genocide barbie'. Although she disabled the comments section in her tweets, she received severe backlashes. But when did this begin?
2017: Wonder Woman banned by Lebanon
It was in the year 2017 when Gal Gadot faced hatred for her nationality when she gained international fame for her standalone film, Wonder Woman. Although her presence in the DC Comics franchise was seen as the new ray of hope, Lebanon had banned the blockbuster film for casting an Israeli actress who had earlier served in her country's defence forces. Military service is compulsory for every citizen of Israel. The Lebanese interior ministry had banned the film hours before its release after a recommendation from the General Security directorate, which had stated that the nations were officially at war, but have observed a ceasefire since 2006. The DC Comics film however had nothing to do with Israel, or the present conflict surrounding the state.
Earlier in 2016, she had a short cameo in Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, where her character had been introduced. It was later explored in 2017 in her standalone film where Gal Gadot was seen fighting against Nazi Germany, and the God of War, Ares. Internationally, the film had gained fame for being the first live-action DC Comics film, starring a woman superhero in the lead role.
Why is Hollywood silent?
Gal Gadot may have taken a neutral stand in her statement, nevertheless, she has neither endorsed the war nor has she committed 'genocide'. In 2020, when Chris Pratt suddenly started receiving hate comments, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey Jr, had come out in support of the actor who became the most hated person on the internet over speculation of him being a supporter of former US President Donald Trump. Pratt however did not respond to any of the rumours.
No figures from Hollywood has come out in defence of Gal Gadot yet. Neither has Gadot responded to any of the hate threads aimed at her.
