Lebanon banned the new “Wonder Woman” movie following the casting of Gal Gadot, an Israeli actress, in the movie’s lead role.
Lebanese authorities officially banned the new “Wonder Woman” movie, following the casting of Gal Gadot, an Israeli actress, in the movie’s lead role, the Lebanese Daily Star reported Thursday.
Lebanon’s Ministry of Economy issued the ban just before the film was scheduled to premiere in Lebanon.
The country is officially at war with Israel and has a law that boycotts Israeli products and bars Lebanese citizens from travelling to Israel or having contact with Israeli citizens.
Though “Wonder Woman” passed the country’s normal screening procedures, the Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel-Lebanon put pressure on the government to block the film, describing it as “the Israeli Soldier film.”
Gadot, who is from the small central town of Rosh HaAyin, was a combat trainer in the IDF.
The Campaign previously tried to block Lebanon’s screenings of “Batman v Superman,” which also features Gadot as Wonder Woman, but was unsuccessful.
Elie Fares, a well-known Lebanese blogger, wrote that the push for a boycott was inconsistent with the country’s history of screening movies that include Israeli-born actors, including Natalie Portman and Gadot, whose “Fast and Furious” films also screened in Lebanon.
“You’d think if they want their ban to make the least of sense, they’d have done it a year ago when the movie’s first trailer was released, not in the week of its release after it’s been given a green light, handling massive financial losses to the Lebanese company that won its distribution rights,” he wrote.
By: United with Israel Staff