“Wonder Woman” star Gal Gadot defended her native Israel in a statement released Wednesday as citizens of the Jewish state have remained in bomb shelters while terror groups in the Gaza Strip launch nonstop rockets into the country, leaving dozens of Israelis and Palestinians dead.
“My heart breaks,” wrote Gadot, who served a mandatory two-year stint in the Israel Defense Forces from 2005 to 2007. “My country is at war. I worry for my family, my friends. I worry for my people.”
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“This is a vicious cycle that has been going on for far too long,” she continued. “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.”
Gadot concluded her statement by saying she “pray[s] for better days.”
— Gal Gadot (@GalGadot) May 12, 2021
The official Twitter account for Israel quote-tweeted Gadot’s post, saying the country “loves” the 36-year-old actor.
Nevertheless, Gadot trended on Twitter on Wednesday with users trashing the Israeli-born action star for supporting her country.
“Gigi and Bella Hadid really stole the spotlight while trying to raise awareness for the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians without worrying about their careers,” wrote Asad Shahbaz. “Then there’s Gal Gadot, a disgrace to everything ‘Wonder Woman’ is supposed to stand for.”
Another person tweeted, “Gal Gadot is a war criminal that even used savior complex propaganda in her movie and the only way she’s still relevant is because she’s a beautiful woman with a predominantly white, male fan base. She ain’t that good of an actress for y’all to be compromising your morals over supporting her. Do better!”
“I hope she will lose her job and all her roles,” added someone else. “That’s what she deserves after saying this.”
Gadot was subject to thousands of tweets condemning her for being a “Zionist” and a “war criminal” over her required service in the IDF.
Michael Dickson, executive director of Stand With Us, a pro-Israel advocacy organization, said he’s seen “the most anti-Semitic, misogynist tweets” aimed at Gadot for posting “a peaceful message” and expressing “concern for her family, who are huddled in bomb shelters.”
“The extremist reaction by her attackers says everything about them and nothing about her,” he added.
Gadot has faced intense anti-Semitism over the years due to her ethnic makeup and support for Israel. She faced similar ridicule in 2014 when she defended Israel amid attacks, then from the Gaza Strip.
In a Facebook post at the time, she said she was “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.”
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