TUNIS: Tunisia has become the latest Arab country to ban “Wonder Woman” over its Israeli protagonist who defended the Jewish state’s 2014 war on Gaza.
A Tunisian court banned the US film which stars Israeli actress Gal Gadot, more than a month after it had been scheduled to open at cinemas in the Arab state, a legal source told AFP on Wednesday.
Lebanon has also banned “Wonder Woman” on the grounds of a long-standing boycott of Israel.
The film was to have been screened at two venues in Tunis in early June but the showings were “suspended” following a complaint from the nationalist Al-Chaab party.
The court finally decided to impose the ban last Friday, prosecution spokesman Sofiene Sliti said, although the verdict was only disclosed to the media this week without a reason given for the judgment.
Al-Chaab demanded the film be banned because Gadot had defended Israel’s 2014 war on the Palestinian enclave of Gaza on Facebook.
The case sparked controversy in Tunisia, with supporters of the ban calling for “no normalization” of ties with the Jewish state.
Earlier last month, “Wonder Woman” was pulled from a film festival in Algiers, the capital of Algeria.
The superhero movie was due to play in Algiers during the second edition of Nuits du Cinéma festival. But the film was abruptly removed from the lineup.
It was reported that Jordan was also considering to ban the movie.
— With input from AFP
In solidarity with Palestine: Tunisia bans ‘Wonder Woman’
In solidarity with Palestine: Tunisia bans ‘Wonder Woman’
