Gal Gadot found herself the subject of a social media backlash after sharing a statement on Instagram about the conflict between the Israeli military and Hamas.
On Wednesday, the 36-year-old Wonder Woman star posted a statement to Instagram that appeared to address the rocket attacks from Hamas, but made no mention of an Israeli police raid on the Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem on Monday.
After her statement was bombarded with comments criticizing her, the Israel-born actress closed comments on her post.
Controversial post: Gal Gadot, 36, was criticized on social media for a statement shared Wednesday calling for peace in the Israel–Palestine conflict while not addressing the sources of the violence; seen in 2018
‘My heart breaks. My country is at war. I worry for my family, my friends. I worry for my people,’ Gadot wrote on Instagram.
‘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 neighbors deserve the same,’ she continued.
‘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.’
Despite her statement seeming benign, many social media users objected to her painting the most-recent conflict as a both-sides issue.
No comments: Gadot eventually closed off comments on Instagram after being inundated with criticism for her statement. She also closed comments on a Twitter post of the same statement
Military veteran: Gadot, an Israeli, served in the Israeli Defense Force for two years, and most Israelis are required to serve (though Arab Israelis are not); seen in 2019 in Paris
The use of the word ‘neighbors’ particularly irked some critics, as most Palestinians are not Israeli citizens and cannot become citizens.
Palestinians outside of Israel proper live in areas like the Gaza Strip that are controlled by Israel. As with most Israelis, Gadot served as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (which is mandatory for all Israeli citizens over the age of 18 — though not for Arab citizens), so her statement angered people supporting the Palestinian cause.
After a flurry of negative comments, Gadot deleted and disabled them on her original Instagram statement.
Her post on Twitter also disables comments, though users were still able to quote tweet the statement to express their displeasure.
Language: The use of the word ‘neighbors’ particularly irked some critics, as most Palestinians are not Israeli citizens and cannot become citizens; seen in 2020
Some social media users criticized her statement as an act of ‘propaganda,’ while others claimed she supported ‘ethnic cleansing’ and ‘mass genocide.’
‘Gal Gadot’s statement is far worse than that tone-deaf imagine video from last year. “Free and Safe”. The same state that is perpetrating military occupation, land theft and ethnic cleansing against the people of Palestine. #FreePalestine,’ wrote writer and activist Aaron Vallely.
Singer James Kennedy lambasted her, writing, ‘Gal Gadot is wrong. Israel is not at ‘war’ with Palestine. Israel is butchering Palestine. Again.’
One post retweeted by The New Inquiry editor-in-chief Ayesha A. Siddiqi said Gadot’s statement was ‘an amazing victory for passive voice heads. gone are the days of officer involved shootings. now we have nation involved wars! imagine indeed…’
Some public figures also came to Gadot’s defense, including Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who tweeted, ‘God bless Gal Gadot.’
‘The internet is angry at Gal Gadot because she’s an IDF veteran, which all Israelis are required to serve in for at least two years, and had the audacity to share a heartwarming message for peace in the conflict. A lot of disgusting people in her replies,’ wrote another user.
Passive voice: One critical tweet called her statement ‘an amazing victory for passive voice heads. gone are the days of officer involved shootings. now we have nation involved wars! imagine indeed…’; seen in February 2020
Sticking up for her: Gadot found a defender in Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, who tweeted, ‘God bless Gal Gadot’; Cruz seen May 12 in Washington, DC
Earlier this week, Israeli began evicting Palestinians from East Jerusalem, whose homes were then taken over by Jewish settlers.
Last month, right-wing Israeli Jews marched through the streets of Jerusalem chanting ‘Death to Arabs,’ according to The New York Times.
In response to the evictions and an Israeli police raid on the Aqsa mosque, Hamas fired more than 1,000 rockets into Jerusalem.
Gadot’s vague remarks were also bashed online for making no mention of the lopsided death toll among Palestinians.
Despite Hamas’ rocket bombings, seven people in Israeli have been killed by rocket fire, including one young boy, while more than 67 Palestinians have been killed so far, including 16 children.
Destruction: Gadot’s vague remarks were also bashed online for making no mention of the lopsided death toll among Palestinians. Seven people have died in Israel, while 67 Palestinians have been killed, including 16 children; seen in 2019