Gal Gadot has left no doubt where she stands on the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
Gadot, who portrays Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, posted the following message to her Facebook page along with a picture of the actress and her daughter praying on the sabbath:
“I am sending my love and prayers to my fellow Israeli citizens. Especially to all the boys and girls who are risking their lives protecting my country against the horrific acts conducted by Hamas, who are hiding like cowards behind women and children…We shall overcome!!! Shabbat Shalom! #weareright #freegazafromhamas #stopterror #coexistance #loveidf”
So far, the post, which references the Hamas tactic of using innocent Palestinians as human shields, has garnered almost 200,000 likes and approximately 6,000 shares, along with about 26,000 comments passionately pro and con on Facebook. As compiled by Twitchy , some of the Twitter responses were of an offensive nature, which is sadly not surprising given the anti-Semitism that has emerged on social media recently.
Perhaps making matters worse, more than a few entertainment celebrities have bashed Israel without knowing all of the facts leading to the hostilities.
The model and actress, 29, won the Miss Israel competition in 2004 and previously starred in the Fast and Furious movie franchise. This past weekend at Comic-Con in San Diego, she unveiled her somewhat unconventional Wonder Woman costume (see below) for the superhero film scheduled for a May 6 release that also stars Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill. According to People , Gadot as Wonder Woman “wields a mighty sword, and the character’s iconic red-white-and-blue outfit has been replaced by a grittier ensemble that resembles leather armor.”
Gal Gadot served two years in the Israeli Defense Forces. In Israel, as the Facebook post alludes to, active duty military service is mandatory for virtually all high school graduates, male and female, followed by a long-term commitment to the reserves.
As the Israeli-born actress said in a 2011 interview…
I definitely have a strong sense of my Jewish and Israeli identity… I was brought up in a very Jewish, Israeli family environment, so of course my heritage is very important to me. I want people to have a good impression of Israel. I don’t feel like I’m an ambassador for my country, but I do talk about Israel a lot — I enjoy telling people about where I come from and my religion. I find that people in the U.S., especially in Hollywood, tend to have positive opinions on Israel—both Jewish and non-Jewish people alike. But when I travel to Europe, people often don’t know as much about Israel, and sadly a lot of them have a negative impression of the country. That’s when I’ll talk and talk and tell them all about where I come from.”
Gal Gadot reportedly earned $300,000 for the first Batman/Superman movie as part of a three-picture deal.
Shabbat Shalom Israel: https://t.co/1kuVn2rH7T pic.twitter.com/fSpEVmE16O
— Gal Gadot (@GalGadot) July 25, 2014
I’m ready… are you? #ww #wonderwoman #DC @wbpictures #BatmanvSuperman #SDCC pic.twitter.com/IhqvE1i7lt
— Gal Gadot (@GalGadot) July 26, 2014
Setting aside politics, do you think Gal Gadot was a good choice for the Wonder Woman part in Batman v Superman ?
[top image credit: Gage Skidmore ]