A social media post claiming that actress Gal Gadot refused to present the Best Documentary award to No Other Land at the 2025 Oscars has gone viral and been viewed more than 750,000 times.
On Sunday, the Palestinian film won the Academy Award following its victories at the 40th IDA Documentary Awards in December, where it took home trophies for Best Feature Documentary and Best Director.
No Other Land was directed by Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers and was made between 2019 and 2023. It focuses on the displacement of Palestinians from their homes by Israeli forces in Masafer Yatta, a community in the occupied West Bank region.
Upon winning Best Documentary, Palestinian director Basel Adra and Israeli director Yuval Abraham pushed for an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"About two months ago, I became a father, and my hope to my daughter: that she will not have to live the same life I am living now," Adra said in his acceptance speech. "No Other Land reflects the harsh reality that we have been enduring for decades and still resist."
He added, "We call on the world to take serious actions to stop the injustice and to stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people."
Abraham criticized the United States' policy in the conflict with his own message.
"There is a different path, a political solution, without ethnic supremacy, with national rights for both of our people. And I have to say, as I am here, the foreign policy in this country is helping to block this path," he said. "Why? Can't you see that we are intertwined? That my people can be truly safe if Basel's people are truly free and safe? There is another way. It's not too late for life, for the living."
According to the U.S. Department of State's website, "The U.S. Government remains committed to a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and believes that Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve equal measures of freedom, security and prosperity."
The Claim
On Monday, social media user @JenPerelman24 reposted an image from the Academy of the Best Documentary winner to X, formerly Twitter.
"Gal Gadot refusing to present the best documentary Oscar for No Other Land is the perfect embodiment of Israel," the caption read. "They refuse to acknowledge the truth of their genocidal actions & when confronted, run away like the chicken s**** they are."
At the time of publication, the post garnered more than 750,000 views and over 45,000 likes.
The Facts
Gadot had been announced as an Oscars presenter prior to the show, however, it was never specified it was for the Best Documentary award. During yesterday's ceremony, she presented the award for Best Visual Effects alongside Snow White co-star Rachel Zegler.
Gadot's representatives confirmed to Newsweek that she was never supposed to present the Best Documentary award.
Gadot has been vocal in her support for Israel after Hamas launched a cross-border attack on October 7, 2023.
Since then, Gadot has frequently been the subject of online backlash from pro-Palestinian activists.
The Ruling
False.
Gal Gadot did not refuse to present the Best Documentary Oscar for No Other Land. There is no evidence to support this claim and Gadot's representatives confirmed to Newsweek that she was never supposed to present the Best Documentary award.
FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team