Little Wonder in Beirut
Israeli lead actors may stymie Lebanon screening
Lebanon is seeking to ban the new Wonder Woman movie because its lead actress, Gal Gadot, is an Israeli — a reflection of how the decades-old animosity between the neighbours also infuses the cultural scene.
A security official said a formal request for a ban, which would require a recommendation from a sixmember committee from the Ministry of Economy, has not yet been received.
A premiere of Wonder Woman is scheduled for today in at least one Beirut cinema. Posters and digital billboards have sprouted around the Lebanese capital.
Lebanon is officially at war with Israel and has a decades-old law that boycotts Israeli products and bars Lebanese citizens from travelling or having contacts with Israelis.
The two countries have been through a number of wars, including a particularly devastating one in 2006. A group called Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel-Lebanon has campaigned against the movie. On Facebook, the campaign said Gadot was a soldier in Israel’s army and has expressed support for its military policies on the Gaza Strip.
Tensions have been rising between Israel and Hizbollah. In recent months, Israelis reportedly bombed several Hizbollah targets in Syria. Israel has signalled the targets were smuggling sophisticated weapons to Lebanon. Hizbollah officials said recently they are not seeking war but are ready for it.
On Facebook, Gadot had praised Israel’s military during the 2014 GazaIsrael war, sending prayers to soldiers “who are risking their lives protecting my country against the horrific acts conducted by Hamas”.
Officials at Lebanon’s Economy Ministry did not return calls for comment. The security official said banning a movie would ultimately come from the country’s interior minister following a recommendation from the sixmember committee.
Warner Bros, which has released the film, declined comment.
Even though Lebanon enjoys greater freedom of expression than other countries in the region, prior censorship remains, particularly for content relating to Israel, religion and homosexuality.
Reflecting tightening of censorship, the Egyptian movie
Mawlana, about a celebrity Muslim cleric, and Lebanese movie Beach
House were banned in Lebanon this year.
Mawlana was later shown after cuts were made, said one cinema manager. The two movies were approved in Egypt.
There has been a precedent for the Arab League to call for banning Israellinked films. In 2013, Arab nations banned the terrorism drama The
Attack, which was shot in Israel, even though it was made by Lebaneseborn filmmaker Ziad Doueiri.
In a high profile case in 2009, Gad Elmaleh, a French comedian of Moroccan-Jewish descent, cancelled his participation in one of Lebanon’s biggest festivals because of safety concerns after Hizbollah’s TV station alleged he served in the Israeli army.
In 2015, Miss Lebanon, Saly Greige, got in hot water when she appeared in a selfie with Miss Israel, Doron Matalon, in Miami. She later apologised and said the Israeli photobombed her selfie.
Support for the Wonder Woman boycott was not unanimous.
Well-known Lebanese blogger Elie Fares said the movie must have been approved to be allowed in theatres in the first place. He said the push for a boycott apparently reflects disputes within the Lebanese Government.
“Resist what?” Fares wrote. “A movie about an iconic superhero who’s been part of pop culture for over 70 years. A movie in which the lead actress happens to be Israeli but who’s not portraying ANYTHING related to her ‘country’ in any way whatsoever.”
Lebanon also has a website called The Virtual Museum of Censorship that tracks censored artwork since the 1940s.
Boycott supporter Samah Idriss rebuffed critics, saying politics is inseparable from art.
There is no clear mechanism for appealing a ban on artwork, and public campaigns often are the only means to protest such a ban. Religious institutions also have a say in artwork with religious references.
Despite the controversy in Lebanon, Wonder Woman is set to open this week in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait. It is scheduled for release later in June in Oman and Bahrain.
The wait is over: See TimeOut