Overview

• Artist-led collective Venice4Palestine escalated its campaign with an open letter exceeding 1,500 signatures urging the Biennale to rescind invitations for Gal Gadot and Gerard Butler and to give red-carpet visibility to Palestinian artists.
• The Biennale’s press office replied that the festival has historically been a place for open exchange, without addressing the specific requests to exclude guests or change programming.
• Two independent sections, Giornate degli Autori and the Settimana Internazionale della Critica, signaled openness to the appeal, highlighting differing responses within the festival ecosystem.
• Media outlets report Gadot will not attend and say the decision predates the campaign, while Butler’s participation remains unconfirmed.
• Coverage revisited the pair’s past ties to Israel, noting Gadot’s IDF service and Butler’s role in a 2018 Friends of the IDF fundraiser, as organizers plan a pro-Palestinian demonstration at the Lido on August 30.