Gal Gadot will probably never be as beloved in Palestine as she is in the United States. The fact that she’s an unapologetic Israeli who loves her nation probably doesn’t help, but it’s not the biggest factor. Palestinian theaters are quick to ban her movies from ever playing there, thus making it unlikely Palestinian fans will ever get the chance to decide for themselves.
While Wonder Woman made hundreds of millions of dollars in the U.S., Gadot’s status as an Israeli caused some to claim the casting was a slap in the face of Palestinian women. (I was pretty sure Islam was OK with slapping Palestinian women in the face. Go figure.)
Now, a theater company in Palestine is refusing to show Justice League because of Gadot. From RedState:
Likely A Palestinian theater company in Ramallah, a city on the West Bank are banning DC’s Justice League movie, and all because Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot hails from Israel.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Palestine Cinema Tower, Palestinians’ largest film distributor, made the announcement after a campaign launched a viral video that alternated between showing Gal Gadot in her Wonder Woman costume to her Israeli Defense Uniform.
I’m not sure how to tell the difference between the two costumes either.
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There’s no word yet as to whether or not other theater companies have banned the movie due to Gadot’s appearance, according to JP. However, this would not be the first time Gadot’s presence in a film resulted in a ban in Arab nations.
This is not the first time Gadot’s Israeli background limited a film starring her from showing in an Arab nation.The film Wonder Woman was banned by Qatar, Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon and other Arab nations specifically because Gadot is Israeli.
Funny enough, the ban mattered very little for the Wonder Woman movie, which ran away with the bucks despite its absence from some theaters.
In truth, this won’t be any different.
While Justice League has been described as a disappointment, it’s a profitable one. As of this writing, the film has made over $573 million worldwide. This is despite bigoted Middle Eastern nations doing their best to protect their people from Gadot’s Israeli hotness.
To be sure, Justice League still trailed Wonder Woman’s more than $821 million, but if you’re going to “bomb,” Justice League has figured out a pretty good way to do it.
It’s unlikely that any company’s decision to not show the movie will make a bit of difference in the grand scheme of things. On the upside, we see that our progressive left isn’t the only one capable of virtue signaling, so there’s that.
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