Rabat- Disney announced at its D23 Expo last weekend that Israeli actress Shira Haas will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as the new superheroine in the upcoming movie Captain America: New World Order, scheduled for release in May 2024.

Haas, a critically acclaimed actress with two Israeli Ophir Awards and who recently made waves worldwide for her performance in the 2020 Netflix miniseries Unorthodox, will play the role of the Israeli superheroine Sabra, a superhuman agent who works with the Mossad (Israel’s national intelligence agency) in Marvel comics.

The announcement sparked widespread controversy on social media platforms. While the Israelis welcomed the new role, many Palestinians and pro-Palestinian activists voiced their opposition to the Israeli character’s portrayal of the heroic role.

Particularly infuriating for critics was the character’s name, Sabra, which many Outraged Twitter users said was disturbingly reminiscent of the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre.

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The massacre took place between September 16-18, 1982 during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. According to the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, “At least 3,000 unarmed and defenseless Palestinians and their Lebanese neighbors were murdered by Israel’s ally, the Lebanese Christian militia, trained and armed by Israel.’’

The choice of the superheroine’s name was questioned in light of the massacre’s date as well, with some critics pointing out that Marvel’s announcement was made just a few days before the massacre’s anniversary. 

However, other social media users have argued that the name Sabra simply denotes a native-born Israeli, and is unrelated to the Sabra and Shatila massacre.

Also stirring controversy among some social media commenters is the title “New world order,’’ which was subject to various interpretations.

“Marvel’s decision to introduce Sabra into the MCU is a confusing one, embroiling the company in a complicated political issue without any clear purpose,” wrote The Direct, a pop culture entertainment news site.  “The Israel/Palestine conflict is undoubtedly one of the modern world’s most controversial topics. As such, the decision to embrace it, and so carelessly, at that, is a strange one.’’