13 Feb 2022; MEMO: Lebanon has banned the newly-released movie 'Death on the Nile' due to the fact that the Israeli actress, Gal Gadot, plays a starring role in it. The Lebanese move follows closely in the footsteps of Kuwait which banned it earlier this week.
The movie, based on the well-known 1937 Agatha Christie novel, shows the story of a wealthy newlywed couple who took a luxury cruise on the Nile, during which one of the passengers is murdered and an investigation by the character of inspector Hercule Poirot ensues.
In the eyes of Beirut and Kuwait, however, the problem with the movie is not the storyline but Gal Gadot, who plays one of the main roles as the newlywed bride.
Gadot has long been a figure of controversy in the Arab world, being a veteran of the Israeli military and a proud supporter of Israel's military operations against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and apartheid policies in the West Bank. Her open support for the Israeli military on social media, especially last year, has often drawn criticism.
This is not the first time Lebanon has banned a movie the actress stars in, as it also banned her 2017 movie 'Wonder Woman', as did other Arab states such as Qatar, Jordan, and Tunisia.
