Gal Gadot waded into the topic of the current wave of Israel-Palestine violence and, not surprisingly, is receiving some backlash online.
The Israel-born Wonder Woman star was trending on Twitter on Wednesday after posting on Instagram the following: “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 neighbors 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.”
Gadot’s pro-peace, respect-both-sides sentiment might sound fairly benign, but some took issue with the actress using the friendly term “neighbors” amid the rocket-firing conflict and for supporting Israel at all. Gadot also served two years as a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (which is mandatory for all Israeli citizens over the age of 18), something that has likewise been made a point of contention.
Writer-activist Aaron Vallely wrote, “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.”
Singer-songwriter James Kennedy wrote, “Gal Gadot is wrong. Israel is not at ‘war’ with Palestine. Israel is butchering Palestine. Again.” Journalist Ben Norton wrote, “Israeli soldier turned Hollywood’s Wonder Woman multimillionaire Gal Gadot sends meaningless thoughts and prayers as the Israeli apartheid regime she supports ethnically cleanses Palestinians and bombs Gazans in an open-air prison camp.” While The New Inquiry editor in chief Ayesha A. Siddiqi retweeted a writer slamming Gadot’s comment that said, “this is an amazing victory for passive voice heads. gone are the days of officer involved shootings. now we have nation involved wars! imagine indeed…”
The above are only some of the most civil reactions by verified accounts.
The recent round of violence began with Israel evicting dozens of Palestines from East Jerusalem, igniting protests. In response, Hamas fired more than 1,000 rockets into Jerusalem this week, and Israel has retaliated with hundreds of strikes of its own. Seven have been killed in Israel by rocket fire, according to the Associated Press, and dozens of Palestinians have died, including 16 children.
