The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel (PCACBI) movements called on Saturday for people to boycott Marvel and Disney over the companies’s “whitewashing – and therefore enabling – Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people.”
PACBI took issue with Marvel’s Captain America: Brave New World and Disney’s Snow White remake. Both movies are set for release in early 2025 and, according to PACBI, “normalize anti-Palestinian racism and cover up Israel’s ongoing carnage in Gaza.”
Boycott @Disney‘s Snow White and @Marvel‘s Captain America https://t.co/PQUUgz6XK4
— BDS movement (@BDSmovement) December 27, 2024
The Israel-Hamas War being fought in Gaza began when Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel, breaking an existing ceasefire, and murdered some 1200 people. In the terrorist organization’s cross-border attacks, during which the terror organization engaged in murder, sexual violence, and looting, Hamas abducted some 250 people – many of whom remain hostage in Gaza.
Casting Israelis
In Captain America: Brave New World, PACBI took particular issue with the character Ruth Bat-Seraph, aka “Sabra.” Sabra was created by Marvel in the 1980s and has consistently been written as a Mossad agent.
Sabra is set to be played by Shira Haas, a famed Israeli actress known for her roles in Shtisel and Unorthodox. PACBI took issue with her casting – claiming Haas’s military service would only make Sabra’s character “more racist.”
PACBI also described Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad as “criminal.”
In a similar stance against Snow White, PACBI decried the casting of famed Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen, taking issue with Gadot’s past service in the Israeli military.
“We amplify the growing calls of Palestinian filmmakers ‘to do everything humanly possible to stop and end complicity with this unspeakable horror; and stand against working with production companies that are deeply complicit in dehumanizing Palestinians, or whitewashing and justifying Israel’s crimes against us,’” The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel said in its petition against Marvel and Disney. “The decision of Marvel and Disney leadership to platform ambassadors to Israel’s settler-colonial regime makes both Captain America and Snow White complicit in violations of Palestinian human rights.”
The petition has thus far gained a little over 2000 signatures.
In a recent turn of events, the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement has called for a boycott of Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Snow White following the casting of Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen.
Many supporters of the BDS movement believe that Gadot’s involvement in the project is a direct contradiction to their mission of advocating for Palestinian rights. Gadot, an Israeli actress and former Israeli Defense Forces soldier, has been a controversial figure in the past due to her vocal support of the Israeli government and military actions in Palestine.
The BDS movement has long been critical of celebrities who support Israel and its policies towards Palestinians, and Gadot’s casting in Snow White has only fueled their fire. The movement has called on supporters to boycott the film and any associated merchandise in protest of Gadot’s involvement.
Disney has not commented on the controversy surrounding Gadot’s casting, but the backlash has been swift and vocal on social media platforms. It remains to be seen how the situation will unfold, but it is clear that the BDS movement is not backing down in their efforts to hold Hollywood accountable for its casting decisions.
Tags:
- BDS
- Disney
- Snow White
- Gal Gadot
- Boycott
- Casting controversy
- Cultural representation
- Social justice
- Entertainment industry
- Activism
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