‘Death on the Nile’ banned in Lebanon and Kuwait because of Gal Gadot

“Death on the NileComing to theaters this weekend, but some countries now boycotting film at the last minute due to political concerns. The Kenneth Branagh The film will not be shown in Lebanon or Kuwait, because the governments of the countries have banned the screening of the film because of the stars Gal Gadotrelations with Israel.

Gadot is of Israeli descent, the actress and model kicked off her entertainment career when she won the 2004 Miss Israel beauty pageant. The “Wonder Woman” star grew up in the city of Rosh HaAyin. and serve in the Israel Defense Forces for two years, as all Israeli citizens are required to do. As the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has become more controversial in recent years, she remains a staunch defender of her home country, even when such a position is unpopular. That said, she’s not a radical, even tweeting her support for a two-state solution by May 2021. “Israel deserves to live as a free and safe country,” she wrote. “Our neighbors deserve it, too.”

Critics of Israel still see Gadot’s relatively moderate stance as an attack on Palestinian sovereignty, and have sought to censor her films for years. In 2017, “Wonder Woman” was banned in both Lebanon and Qatar. Lebanon has censored superhero movies after facing intense pressure from the Israel-Lebanon Pro-Operation Boycott Campaign group. Although the origins of Lebanon’s ban on “Death on the Nile” are unknown, many believe that the Israel-Lebanon Supporters Boycott Campaign was also behind it.

Sources say that Kuwait’s ban is due to Gadot’s military service in Israel, not her statements. The Daily Mail quoted a government source as saying that they would not be pre-ordering a movie starring an Israeli ex-soldier. Neither Lebanon nor Kuwait requested any edits to the film, they simply refused to screen it due to Gadot’s presence in it.

While Hollywood sometimes has to deal with Middle Eastern countries censoring American films, studios are generally more concerned with China’s censorship due to the country’s authoritarian government and large audience. However, “Death on the Nile” has no problem on that front. The mystery film will open in China next weekend, and most Middle Eastern countries will screen the film this weekend at the same time as the US premiere.

“Death on the Nile” is scheduled to hit theaters on February 11.

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