Palestinian ‘erasure’ in Netflix’s new ‘Mary’ film sparks anger

Netflix has released the trailer for its upcoming faith-based drama ‘Mary’, depicting the life of the mother of Jesus.  

However, the move has sparked online backlash, with critics condemning the lack of Arab and Palestinian representation, particularly after the casting of white European and Israeli performers. 

The trailer for ‘Mary’ features Israelis Noa Cohen, Ori Pfeffer, and Ido Tako, with Cohen’s portrayal of Mary being denounced by critics for erasing Palestinian identity and spreading historical inaccuracies about the family of Christ. 

Several users took to social media platform X to voice their disapproval of the film.

One user argued that “the whole main cast is white Europeans except for one biracial guy.”

Others also criticised lead actress Cohen’s filmography, particularly her role in the 2022 Israeli-Azerbaijani film ‘Silent Game’, where she was accused of participating in “whitewashing Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of 120,000 Christians in Artsakh.”

“Any Christian who supports this film is stupid and delusional,” another user added. 

The accusations elude to Israel’s historical ties with Azerbaijan, a Muslim-majority country that supplies Israel with crude oil, while Israeli weaponry played a crucial role in Baku’s victory during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.  

A separate post highlighted the contradictions in casting an Israeli actress amid intensified attacks on Palestinian Christians, Muslims, and places of worship since the onset of the war on Gaza. 

“There is something profoundly offensive about having an Israeli actor play Mary, the mother of Jesus, while Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, killing some of the oldest Christian communities in the world, and erasing their heritage sites,” one post read. 

Also starring Oscar-winning actor Anthony Hopkins as King Herod and directed by DJ Caruso, the film is set to premiere on 6 December. 

It portrays Mary’s perspective as a young woman chosen to bring Jesus into the world, according to Netflix.  

Caruso told Entertainment Weekly that his decision to cast Israeli actors in the lead roles was intentional, explaining that it was “important to us that Mary, along with most of our primary cast, be selected from Israel to ensure authenticity.” 

Netflix has previously found itself at the centre of a boycott campaign after failing to respond to a petition against its removal of the Palestinian Stories collection from its site.

“A genocide is not the time to be silent about Palestine, instead we must raise up Palestinian stories and voices and humanise those being dehumanised,” CODEPINK co-founder Jodie Evans previously said. 

The latest controversy also comes as Palestinian Christians draw a parallel between the journey of Christ and his family, who fled Bethlehem under an oppressive ruler to Egypt, and the ongoing attacks on the Palestinian people by Israel. 

Churches, clergy, and civilians in Gaza have been bombarded, while attacks continue in Jesus’s birthplace, Bethlehem.