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Kuwait bans ‘Death on the Nile’ starring Israel’s Gadot
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Critical star: Israeli actress Gal Gadot attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Feb. 9, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. Kuwati netizens have demanded that their government ban her upcoming movie, Death on the Nile, due to her praise of the Israeli army during the 2014 Gaza War. (AFP/Jean-Baptiste Lacroix)
K
uwait is banning a new film adaptation of Agatha Christie's whodunnit, Death on the Nile, which features a cast of Hollywood stars including Israeli actress Gal Gadot, authorities said on Sunday.
The film, directed by and costarring Kenneth Branagh, is due for release this month in the United States.
The story is one of the most famous works of British author Christie, dubbed the "Queen of Crime".
But moviegoers in Kuwait would not be able to watch it, information ministry spokeswoman Anouar Mourad told AFP, confirming press reports.
According to Kuwait's Al-Qabas newspaper, the decision was taken following demands on social media for the film to be banned.
Social media users pointed to Gadot's praise of the Israeli army and her criticism of the Palestinian Islamic movement, Hamas, during the 2014 Gaza War.
The war left 2,251 dead on the Palestinian side, the majority of them civilians, and 74 on the Israeli side, most of them soldiers.
Gadot is best known for the lead role in the 2017 Hollywood blockbuster Wonder Woman, which was banned in some Arab countries.
She has frequently come under criticism on social media because she completed her mandatory Israeli military service.
Kuwait has long been a supporter of the Palestinian cause and is staunchly opposed to normalizing ties with Israel, unlike its Gulf neighbors the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which have signed peace deals with the Jewish state.
