Gal Gadot Won’t Be At Venice Film Fest After Gaza Protest

Venice: Israeli actress Gal Gadot will not attend the Venice Film Festival following a protest by the artists’ group Venice4Palestine. The group called for the invitation to her and co-star Gerard Butler to be rescinded due to their alleged support for Israeli actions in Gaza.

According to Ansa News Agency, Gadot, who co-stars in Julian Schnabel’s “In the Hand of Dante,” is not among the stars confirmed to be present at the Lido. The film, which is presented out of competition, has become the center of controversy following Venice4Palestine’s request for the Biennale to withdraw invitations to Gadot and Butler, as well as any artists and celebrities who they claim publicly support genocide.

Isabella De Monte, a Forza Italia MP and deputy head of the post-Berlusconi party’s Foreign Affairs Department, criticized the protest, stating that dialogue and a plurality of ideas are essential tools that culture uses to overcome division. She commended Biennale President Pietrangelo Buttafuoco for emphasizing this point to the 1,500 artists advocating for a boycott of Gadot and her film with Butler. De Monte described the protest as reckless, arguing that in the eyes of the protesters, Gadot’s only “crime” is her Israeli nationality, and stressed that the Venice Film Festival deserves respect.