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Why the Lebanese Government Wants to Ban ‘Wonder Woman’

By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
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By
Valentina Zarya
Valentina Zarya
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 30, 2017, 12:04 PM ET
Premiere Of Warner Bros. Pictures' "Wonder Woman" - Arrivals
Photograph by Michael Tran—FilmMagic

Some see the new Wonder Woman film as entertainment. Others see it as a security threat.

A Lebanese ministry has asked the country’s security agency to ban the film because its lead actress is Israeli, reports the Associated Press. Lebanese Minister of Economy and Trade Alain Hakim said that the country has put in place the necessary steps to prevent the movie from being shown in Lebanese theaters, the country’s National News Agency reported Monday.

Lebanon has a boycott against Israel in place, preventing citizens from buying Israeli products, traveling to the country, or being in contact with Israelis. Wonder Woman is not the first film to be banned due to its ties with the Jewish state. Palestinian filmmaker Maha Haj’s film Personal Affairs was banned at the International Beirut Film Festival because it was filmed in Israel.

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The film’s lead actress, Gal Godot, served for two years in the Israeli army (service is mandatory for most Israeli citizens). In 2014, she received a flood of attention for a Facebook post in which she shared anti-Hamas sentiments, calling members of the Palestinian military organization “cowards.”

https://www.facebook.com/GalGadot/photos/a.443954573925.242485.25616998925/10152522016708926/?type=1&theater

For now, the movie is still scheduled for screenings in Beirut starting this Wednesday; a ban would require a recommendation from a six-ministry-member committee.

About the Author
By Valentina Zarya
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