IDF Official: Ramallah Theater’s Boycott of ‘Wonder Woman’ Shows ‘Weakness and Fear’

TEL AVIV – The decision by a movie theater in the Palestinian Authority not to screen the blockbuster movie Wonder Woman because it stars Israeli actress Gal Gadot suggests “weakness and fear,” a senior IDF official said on Sunday.

“Apparently, at the Berg Palestine Theater in Ramallah they are afraid the audience will enjoy the excellent movie Wonder Woman, and cannot separate politics from an American film,” Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, the head of the IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) unit, wrote in Arabic on his Facebook page.

“Those who are sure of themselves are not afraid of movies, even if they star Wonder Woman!” Mordechai concluded.

The movie, which has already grossed nearly $300 million, was banned in Lebanon and and faced boycotts at movie theaters and festivals in Jordan, Tunisia and Algeria.

Gadot, who served in the IDF during the 2006 Lebanon war, has come under fire for her open support of Israel, in particular for a tweet during 2014’s conflict with Gaza in which she prayed for the safety of Israel’s citizens.