Following in the footsteps of Lebanon and Tunisia, Qatar moved to ban showings of the film Wonder Woman, starring Israeli actress Gal Gadot.
The film had been scheduled to premiere last Thursday and was being promoted by local theatre chains VOX Cinemas Qatar and Novo Cinemas, but any reference to the movie was later removed from the cinemas’ websites across the country. Both companies then confirmed on Twitter that the film had been banned, according to Doha News.
Hi Mohamad, Wonder Woman will no longer release in Qatar.
— VOX Cinemas QAT (@VOXCinemasQatar) June 27, 2017
This makes Qatar the third Arab country to boycott Wonder Woman. Jordan had also initially attempted to cancel showings of the film, but was forced to relent when the Communications Commission came to the conclusion that there was “no legal precedent”.
Read: Jordan joins Lebanon, Tunisia in boycott of Wonder Woman
Lead actress Gadot has proudly spoken of her Israeli heritage, and publicly supported the Israeli army in 2014 on social media during its assault on the Gaza Strip. She was enlisted in the Israeli army during the 2006 Israeli war on Lebanon, leading Beirut to be the first to ban the movie, which has grossed $700 million at the box office.