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Gadot took to her Instagram, and almost 30 million followers, to state that the situation in Israel "is a matter of dialogue, of dialogue for peace and of our tolerance for each other."
Israeli actress Gal Gadot is the latest famous face to respond to an Instagram post made by Prime Minister (PM) Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he stated that, "Israel is not a country for all its citizens... Israel is the nation-state of the Jewish people, and belongs to them alone."
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Netanyahu repeated the statements, at a Cabinet meeting, reaffirming that "Israel is the nation-state, not of all its citizens, but only of the Jewish people."
PM Netanyahu's post was a response to Israeli TV host and celebrity Rotem Sela.
The latter inquired "when will anyone in this government tell the public that this is a country of all its citizens," referring to the nation's 20% Arab-Israeli population.
Gadot took to her own Instagram and almost 30 million followers to state that the situation in Israel, "is a matter of dialogue, of dialogue for peace and of our tolerance for each other. It is our responsibility to shine hope and light for a better future for our children.”
The Wonder Woman star also said Sela an "inspiration."
The statement from Gadot, who has been criticized by some members of the Muslim community for publicly supporting the deadly 2014 Israeli war against Palestine, is seen as a mini about-turn considering the ex-soldier is widely viewed as a Zionist who served in the Israel Defense Forces.
The US House passed an all-encompassing “anti-hate” bill to rebuke @Ilhan for criticizing Israel.
— Zach Carter (@zachjcarter) March 11, 2019
Meanwhile: (1) the UN concluded Israel committed war crimes and crimes against humanity & (2) Netanyahu commits to Israel being an apartheid state.
Both have been met with silence. https://t.co/A4PgyRwUD4
Also chiming into the debate is the New York City-based Jewish organization that advocates against anti-Semitism, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The ADL commented, without specifically naming Netanyahu, on the dangers of delegitimizing the Israeli Arab parties and the minority population. The organization's Israeli Office director released a statement noting that "this anti-Arab rhetoric is a deeply troubling trend that, if it continues, could undermine Israel's vibrant democracy."
The debates come ahead of upcoming Israeli elections due to take place on April 9, as well as amid Netanyahu's multiple corruption charges.
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