Hezbollah chief weighs in on Lebanon’s Spielberg controversy
Posted January 19, 2018 8:15 am.
Last Updated January 19, 2018 8:40 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
BEIRUT – The leader of Hezbollah is weighing in on a local controversy surrounding Steven Spielberg’s newspaper drama “The Post,” saying it was wrong to screen it in Lebanese theatres.
Censorship authorities had recommended the ban because the director is blacklisted by the Arab League over his support for Israel, but a Lebanese minister reversed the decision, allowing it to open Thursday in theatres across the country.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday said Spielberg’s name is on a “black list” of Israeli supporters and noted he was blacklisted by the League for donating $1 million to Israel for reconstruction during its 2006 war with Lebanon.
Nasrallah said showing the movie in Lebanon was tantamount to “rewarding” Spielberg under the pretext of art, freedoms and tourism.
