Israeli actor and Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony was disrupted on Tuesday by protesters — both in support of Palestine and Israel. The event was delayed because of the protests and the police had to be called in.
Pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony for Israeli actor Gal Gadot on Tuesday, delaying the event and inciting police response, Variety reported.
Several dozen protesters gathered ahead of the ceremony for Gadot, who is an outspoken supporter and former member of the Israeli military.
According to Variety, pro-Palestinian protesters held signs that read “Heroes Fight Like Palestinians,” “Viva Viva Palestina” and “No Other Land Won Oscar,” referring to the documentary on Israeli incursions onto Palestinian land in the West Bank that won the award for best documentary this month.
The event was tented off from view, similar to the premiere of Snow White in which Gadot stars as the evil queen, however, that didn’t hinder protesters from coming out and disrupting the ceremony.
The crowd chanted, “Up up with liberation, down down with occupation” and “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crime.”
One of the protesters told Variety, “We’re all really upset about what’s happening in Gaza right now. From the last year and a half, and especially in the last 24 to 48 hours, 400 innocent people have been killed by the Israeli military, unprovoked.
“There’s no reason we should be celebrating an Israeli,” he said, adding, “She has the ability to learn and read the same books that we read. There’s just no excuse.”
The crowd grew to over two dozen on each side, Variety reported.
Content creator Dana Nikri was holding an Israeli flag and in conversation with Variety, recalled how her friends had gone to the Nova Music Festival on October 7, 2023, saying they were “murdered.” “They come [to] our home and take us from our home and give us dead children,” she said, adding, “We don’t start war, we don’t want war at all.”
The ceremony started 15 minutes late and protesters were chanting throughout. According to Variety, police personnel acted after a pro-Palestinian protester stole an Israeli flag.
The ceremony was emceed by Steve Nissen, with Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins, Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel and Shira Haas also making appearances to laud Gadot.
“I’m just a girl from a town in Israel, this star will remind me that with hard work and passion and some faith, anything is possible,” Gadot said as she stepped up to the podium.
‘Former sniper’
Pakistani author Fatima Bhutto condemned Gadot for receiving a Walk of Fame star and said “A former sniper defending her fellow mercenaries the day after we watched the Israeli army murder 89 children — babies in their pajamas — in cold blood.”
Bhutto was referring to Israel shattering the ceasefire agreement on Tuesday, which it signed with Hamas earlier in January. The health ministry in Gaza said the death toll from a massive Israeli campaign launched throughout the Palestinian territory had risen to “at least 413”, including children.
Gaza’s civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Basal told AFP that Israel’s military operation was ongoing, affecting schools and camps sheltering displaced people.
Another X (formerly Twitter) user said that it was warranted to advocate for the Israeli hostages but it was not okay to ignore the massacre of over 50,000 Palestinians.
“The Gal Gadot problem is that she preaches love and kindness, yet can’t say out loud once that her PM should stop the mass murders of small children.”
A social media user highlighted how “truly vile” Gadot receiving a star was “when Israel broke its ceasefire yesterday and she was part of the IDF.”
“Hollywood pretending to care about Palestine when [things] like this happens brings nothing but bile to my mouth. F*** Gal Gadot.”
Past pro-Israel support
In an interview with Variety before the Walk of Fame ceremony, Gadot claimed she did not talk about politics, however, after October 7, 2023, she had to speak up.
“But on October 7th, when people were abducted from their homes, from their beds, men, women, children, elderly, Holocaust survivors, were going through the horrors of what happened that day, I could not be silent. I was shocked by the amount of hate, by the amount of how much people think they know when they actually have no idea, and also by how the media is not fair many times. So I had to speak up.”
Gadot said she was an “eighth-generation Israeli” and “an indigenous person of Israel” because her grandfather, a Holocaust survivor established his life in Israel after his family was wiped out in Auschwitz.
However, Gadot has been outspoken in her support for Israel well before October 7, 2023. In 2021, she tweeted that her country was at war, adding that “Israel deserves to live as a free and safe nation, and our neighbours deserve the same.”
Gadot’s position on Israel has drawn criticism online. Her social media posts supporting Israel have sparked widespread backlash.
On October 8, 2023, Gadot posted “I stand with Israel” on Instagram and a month later organised a special screening of a 47-minute Israeli propaganda docu-film provided by the Israeli Defence Force for Hollywood celebrities and other prominent figures.
Most recently, a rumour surfaced alleging that Gadot refused to present the Best Documentary award at the Oscars to the Palestinian film No Other Land — a claim her team has denied, insisting she was never asked.
