Wonder Woman's Gal Gadot comes to the rescue of fellow Israeli star

Hollywood star Gal Gadot has leapt to defend a fellow actress who was chided by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for challenging his party's treatment of Arab citizens.

Her message follows an enraging social media debate between another Israeli actress and the country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 

Netanyahu and his Likud party have been accused of using scare tactics and demonising Israel's Arab population ahead of April 9 elections in a bid to motivate their right-wing base.

"Love your neighbour as yourself," Israeli-born Gadot wrote on Instagram late Sunday after popular Israeli model and television actress Rotem Sela received online abuse from the public and a personal reprimand from Netanyahu.

Ms Sela criticised Mr Netanyahu's party campaign rhetoric, by responding to comments made by Culture Minister Miri Regev in a TV interview.
Rotem Sela is one of Israel's top models and TV hosts.
Rotem Sela is one of Israel's top models and TV hosts. Source: APP
In the TV interview,  Minister Regev warned viewers if her party, the Likud government, loses the election, main challenger Benny Gantz would have to rely on Arabs to form a government.

Ms Sela responded to the comments in her Instagram story, saying: "What is the problem with the Arabs?"

"When the hell will someone in this government let the Israeli public know that this is a country for all its citizens and that every person is born equal," according to a translation from The Washington Post. 

On Sunday, the Prime Minister responded to her comments himself, with a social media post of his own.
It said: "Dear Rotem,  I read what you wrote.

"First of all, an important correction: Israel is not the state of its citizens."

"Israel is the national state of the Jewish people and his only," he added, before saying "there is no problem with the citizens of the Israel Arabs". 

"They are equal rights as us and the Likud government [has] invested in the Arab sector more than any."

Image

Wonder Woman, Ms Gadot, then posted on her own Instagram story. 

"This isn't a matter of right or left. Jew or Arab. Secular or religious," Ms Gadot told her follows. 

"It's a matter of dialogue, of dialogue for peace and equality and of our tolerance of one towards the other."
The Washington Post reports the debate even came up in the Prime Minister's weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.

“I want to respond to a few people who are confused. The state of Israel is not a nation-state of all its citizens; other minorities have a national representation in other countries,” he said. 


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Source: AFP, SBS

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