Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot came under fire after she posted a statement regarding the latest round of violence in Israel-Palestine conflict on her social media accounts. Gadot, who enlisted herself in the the Israel Defense Forces at the age of 20 as part of the country’s policy of mandatory two year military service, said in the statement, “My heart breaks. My country is at war. I worry for my family, my friends. I worry for my people.”
Gadot went on to talk about the “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,” she added.
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Her statement prompted social media backlash, with many pointing out she did not call Palestinians by name, instead referring to them as “neighbors.” She was also accused of supporting Israel’s “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza. The comments grew so vitriolic that Gadot had to disable them on her post.
Meanwhile, Hadid sisters Bella Hadid and Gigi Hadid, whose father Mohamed Hadid is a Palestinian, voiced support for the Palestinians in the ongoing attacks.
Gigi wrote on Instagram, “‘One cannot advocate for racial equality, LGBT & women’s rights, condemn corrupt & abusive regimes and other injustices yet choose to ignore the Palestinian oppression. It does not add up. You cannot pick and choose whose human rights matter more.”
Bella shared a graphic detailing of the human rights abuse that Palestinians face and wrote in the caption, “If you don’t think this is wrong , regardless of who you are and where you come from , there is a problem with how you see humanity and Palestinians. This is on you. Not them. It’s #freepalestine until Palestine is free.”