By:  Hellen Zaboulani

Disney’s live-action “Snow White” reboot is facing controversy over its star actress.  As reported by Fox News, actress and singer Rachel Zegler, 23, ignited a social media storm last week when she made an anti-Israel post.  The actress, who has been outspoken about her liberal political opinions and criticism of the original 1937 “Snow White” film’s traditional themes, fueled a fire when she tacked on a “Free Palestine” message to the end of a post thanking fans for watching the new “Snow White” trailer.  “And  always remember, free Palestine,” the actress posted to X on Monday.

That Snow White “feud” – lets compare:

Gal Gadot – a beautiful Jewish queen, grandkid of Holocaust survivors, IDF veteran, millionaire, married w/ 4 daughters, likeable personality, industrious, gracious, classy, team player, reasonable opinions

Rachel Zegler – a poisoned apple pic.twitter.com/hjZRKFPdRD

— TheWonderingIsraeli (@WonderngIsraeli) August 15, 2024

Last weekend, Disney released its first official teaser trailer for the new “Snow White” adaptation. The star role is played by Zegler, who made her film debut being cast for the star role of Maria for director Steven Spielberg’s new film adaptation of West Side Story.  The Seven Dwarfs are enhanced with Computer-generated imagery, and Israeli actress Gal Gadot is cast for the part of the evil queen.

Zegler’s inciteful “free Palestine” tweet, which has garnered roughly 6 million views and over 50,000 shares, led to strong criticism on X, including people saying it was a subtle attack on her Israeli co-star.  Gadot, 39, famed for her role as Wonder Woman in DC Universal films, has been a steady supporter for Israel particularly after the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre in which more than 1,500 Israelis were slaughtered in a single day. Gadot, 39, was born and raised in Israel and formerly served in the Israeli Defense Force.

Rachel Zegler has tried to cancel Gina Carano, Jeremy Renner, JK Rowling and now appears to have targeted her Snow White co-star Gal Gadot. This is who Disney keeps embracing. 🤦‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/hZjxR7VgFg

— Price of Reason (@priceoreason) August 14, 2024

Her grandfather survived the Holocaust despite being sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp. Last year, Gadot spearheaded the Hollywood screening of a 47-minute video of the savage crimes committed by Hamas during the surprise attack on Israel on Oct 7. The video had prompted violent protests and was criticized as “insensitive” to Palestinians, as reported by Fox News. Zegler’s pro-Palestinian post follows calls by anti-Israel agitators to boycott the movie, because of Gadot’s role, as per the Times of Israel.

Newsweek opinion contributor Joel Peltin slammed Zegler’s post, writing: “Rachel Zegler is trolling her much more famous and beautiful Snow White co-star Gal Gadot. Disney continues to hire the wrong actors to represent their brand. Rather than promoting a film, they choose to embarrass themselves and the studio.”

Conservative commentator Ian Haworth bashed the studio behind the new “Snow White” for casting Zegler, commenting, “Great choice @Disney.”

and always remember, free palestine.

— rachel zegler (she/her/hers) (@rachelzegler) August 12, 2024

Tablet Magazine deputy audience editor Isaac de Castro commented, “She could have turned down this role instead of starring alongside Gal Gadot. She could have also not worked with Spielberg, who handed her her breakout role. Instead, she’ll tweet petty slights aimed at her co-star to muddy the fact that she can’t even stick to her own principles when it’s inconvenient for her career.”

Reps for Zegler did not comment. Gadot also did not directly comment or respond to Zegler’s tweet, but on Tuesday, she shared a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. on her Instagram Story, saying: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Gadot added, “Only love can truly save the world.”