A post deleted by Lebanese designer Elie Saab. Image by Instagram

Gal Gadot Image by Getty

(JTA) — The fashion studio of the Lebanese designer Elie Saab deleted from Instagram a picture of Gal Gadot amid rebuke over its ties to the Israeli actress.

The image of Gadot, who starred in last year’s action thriller “Wonder Woman,” in a blue sash dress by Saab was accompanied by a description of the former Israel Defense Forces combat trainer as “flawless,” the BBC on Friday reported.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Saab’s Instagram post saw some people share their frustration that a former member of the Israeli army would be promoted by the designer.

A post deleted by Lebanese designer Elie Saab. Image by Instagram

Gadot was wearing the dress to the National Board of Review awards in New York Thursday, where she and director Patty Jenkins received the Spotlight Award for their work on “Wonder Woman.”

The deleting of Saab’s picture has drawn a mixed reaction on social media. While one user praised the decision to remove the post, another called the whole debacle “shameful”.

“I love and respect Elie Saab, but is he really happy an Israeli actress wore a dress he designed?” asked one user, the Lebanese journalist Heba Bitar, on Twitter.

In 2017, her superhero blockbuster was banned from cinemas in Lebanon, among several other Arab countries amid protests over her casting as the title character and complaints by Islamists that it featured immodest images of women generally.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount