Lebanon Bans Wonder Woman Film: Actress Gal Gadot Represents the Occupation

The Lebanese Ministry of Economy and Trade published its decision to ban the film "Wonder Woman" because Israeli actress Gal Gadot stars in the leading role. Lebanese activist Samah Idriss, founder of the "Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Lebanon in Israel," said in an interview that the decision should have been automatic and should have encompassed all Arab League members, in light of a 2016 decision to boycott the film "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," in which Gadot also appeared. Gadot has been “black-listed,” he said, adding that art and politics cannot be separated. TV host Diyaa Chams explained that unlike all Hollywood movies - in which the villains are the Russians - in this film, the enemies are German Nazis, which is more suited for a Jewish actress, proving that art and politics cannot be separated. The interview aired on the Lebanese Mayadeen TV channel on June 1.

Samah Idriss: The decision [to boycott the film Wonder Woman] was taken a year ago, when we submitted a request to the Central Boycott Office to ban the film "Batman v Superman" by the same actress [Gal Gadot]. Unfortunately, that film was already showing in cinemas, and you know Arab bureaucracy, including the Lebanese one... But a decision was made to ban that film and all the films by that actress on April 26, 2016. Therefore, this new film should have been banned automatically. We weren't supposed to go through all the process again, and approach the Ministry of Economy...

Interviewer: The decision should have been made by the censor...

Samah Idriss: Of course, that actress was black-listed not only by the Lebanese Ministry of Economy, but by all the members of the Arab League.

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Interviewer: Some intellectuals, filmmakers, and even some in the media, asked yesterday: What is this reactionism? Why ban this film? This is art, they said, and art has no identity.

Samah Idriss: If art has no identity, how come Israel is proud of that actress? How come she is considered to be a symbol of Israel and of liberated women? She was Israel's beauty queen and had her picture taken with [Shimon] Peres. [Gal Gadot] uses this art as a tool in the service of the occupation We want to be very intellectual and civilized and separate art from politics, but, brother, your enemy does not separate them. Who told you to separate art from politics? Why do you think that [Gadot] is merely an actress in a film, and is not an Israeli symbols.

Interviewer: In any case, regarding this issue of art and politics, all the American films, or at least the vast majority of them... I'm talking about written films, not ones that are based on actual events... The enemies in all those films are the Russians: the U.S.S.R. in the past and now Russia. But in this specific film with this specific actress, the enemies are the German Nazis. Therefore, this is about politics. This is a Hollywood film. The enemies are the German Nazis because she is Jewish.

Samah Idriss: Exactly. The whole idea of separating art and politics is in the heart of the normalization.

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