Disclaimer: the thoughts and opinions expressed in this article do not represent the values of the CCA Pulse Magazine staff as a whole.
It’s no secret that Gal Gadot has played a significant role in empowering women in the film industry. With her appearance as Wonder Woman on the big screen, she has inspired and influenced many young girls across the globe. Furthermore, for inspiring so many and proving that there is a place for women in the superhero world, Gadot was given the title of “Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls” by the United Nations (UN) as well as being named one of the top “100 most influential people in the world” by Time Magazine in 2018. But, behind her flashy titles and polyester cape is a much more controversial and problematic side.
In recent days, tensions between Israel and what is left of Palestine have been reported as reaching all time highs, so much so that the UN warned that the conflicts could turn into a full scale war. In Southern California, thousands of miles away from the conflict, the situation cuts a divide unheard of on social media platforms where clashing viewpoints have (normally) been a rare occurrence in a bubble of the status quo of So-Cal politics.
Gal Gadot, an avid Israeli nationalist, who also served in the Israel Defense Forces for two years, got herself into hot water after posting a statement on Twitter — and other social media platforms — in which she tone deftly expressed her “worry” for Israel and its “Neighbors” –not Palestine, but neighbors — then claiming she wished for an end to the “unimaginable hostility” and for their leaders to “find the solution so we [Israelis and Palestinians] could live side by side in peace.” Of course, her comments were responded to with a firestorm of backlash. Her empty words and wishes of peace made no amends to the fact that she herself participated in the Israeli military, supporting the evictions, colonialism, and upholding of the apartheid in Israel. If Gadot truly meant her words and wishes of a solution in which Palestinians and Israelis could live side by side in peace, how could she proudly boast her service and nationalism towards a colony? Let alone one that colonized, upheld an apartheid, and expelled the previously diverse Christians, Muslims, and Jews who lived peacefully on this stolen land.
Many people who oppose Israel note its colonisation, ethnic cleansing, military occupance, and clear apartheid as reasons for their position, however these sentiments are often met with accusations of anti-Semitism. Obviously not all people against the state of Israel as it is today are not anti-semetic, but when the line between legitimate criticisms of Israel and anti-semitism become blurred, the situation becomes a lot more complicated.
Like any person who has the bare minimum respect for other humans, most people don’t want to deny the Jewish people the right to self determination. After all, doing so would cross into anti-Semitic territory, because why should your nation be allowed self determination, while the Jewish people are denied it? So, understandably, critics of Israel often have to criticize with as much caution as possible to not come off as anti-Semetic.
Gal Gadot had undoubtedly been an influential figure in the empowerment of women, and the ideas of self determination of the Jewish people, likewise, she gave hope to one of the most oppressed populations historically. Therefore, criticism of both her and Israel feel almost wrong and disrespectful. But every rose has its thorns. Ultimately, everything deserves some level of scrutiny, and Israel and Gal Gadot are no exception. You can criticize Israel without being anti-Semitic. Likewise, you can criticize Gal Gadot without undermining her obvious accomplishments, so long as it’s done so carefully. Do your research when criticizing Israel, don’t cross into the territory of anti-Semitism.