Venice Festival Cancels Jewish Appearance? Antisemitism Meets Gal Gadot

International Israeli actress Gal Gadot will not attend this year’s prestigious Venice Film Festival, citing rising antisemitic sentiment and targeted protests. The decision comes after calls from a coalition of filmmakers and artists urging the festival to take a political stance on events in the Middle East.

Gadot, who stars in the upcoming film In the Hands of Dante, had been invited to walk the red carpet alongside co-star Gerard Butler. However, she chose to withdraw from the festival following pressure from a group known as “Venice for Palestine.”

The organization, which claims a roster of roughly 1,500 Italian and international directors, actors, and artists, issued an open letter to festival organizers. In it, they demanded “more courage and clarity in condemning the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing across Palestine allegedly carried out by the Israeli government and army.”

According to the group,

“We continue to witness live atrocities perpetrated by the state of Israel in Palestine.” The protests and public pressure intensified after these statements circulated in the media, ultimately influencing Gadot’s decision not to attend.

Despite the controversy, the film will premiere at the festival, though Gadot’s absence highlights the ongoing tensions between political activism in the arts and participation by Jewish and Israeli artists on the international stage.