Kuwait BANS Disney new film Death On The Nile because it stars Gal Gadot

Kuwait will ban a new film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s whodunnit Death on the Nile because it stars Israeli actress Gal Gadot.

According to Kuwait’s Al-Qabas newspaper, the decision to ban the film was taken following demands on social media.

Official in the country said that it would not allow a film starring ‘a former soldier in the Zionist occupying army’.

A former Miss Israel, Gadot did her mandatory two-year military service in Israel, before starting her acting career.

Social media users in Kuwait also slammed her praise of the IDF and her criticism of Hamas during the 2014 war in Gaza. The war left 2,251 dead on the Palestinian side, the majority civilians, and 74 on the Israeli side, most of them soldiers.

Gadot praised Israel’s military during the war, sending prayers to Israeli soldiers ‘who are risking their lives protecting my country against the horrific acts conducted by Hamas’. 

Kuwait is staunchly opposed to normalising ties with Israel – unlike its Gulf neighbours the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which have signed peace deals with the Jewish state – and has long been a supporter of the Palestinian cause. 

Official in the country said that it would not allow a film starring ‘a former soldier in the Zionist occupying army’

Gadot is best known for the lead role in the 2017 Hollywood blockbuster ‘Wonder Woman’ which was also banned in some Arab countries including Lebanon and Qatar. 

She was also previously slammed on social media after she was cast to play Cleopatra in the upcoming historical epic about the iconic Egyptian queen. 

The casting drew outrage from confused social media users who wrongly assumed Cleopatra was black and North African. 

Critics argued it was inappropriate for Gadot, a white Israeli woman, to play such a role and suggested the part be given to an African or black actress instead.

However, other social media users were quick to point out the Egyptian ruler was actually ethnically Greek or Persian. 

While she was born in Egypt, she was the daughter of Pharaoh Ptolemy XII, a member of the Macedonian Greek royal family that ruled Egypt for 275 years, meaning Cleopatra was most likely fair-skinned. 

Death on the Nile, directed by and co-starring Kenneth Branagh, is due for release this month in the United States

Gadot is best known for the lead role in the 2017 Hollywood blockbuster ‘Wonder Woman’ which was also banned in some Arab countries including Lebanon and Qatar

Death on the Nile, directed by and co-starring Kenneth Branagh, is due for release this month in the United States.

The story is one of the most famous works of British author Christie, dubbed the ‘Queen of Crime’. 

The movie is already facing controversy because of its male lead Armie Hammer being accused of sexual assault by a number of women since filming took place in 2019. 

No charges have been brought against him, though police in LA are investigating a rape allegations.  

Disney previously said that reshooting scenes with Hammer in them would be impossible.