Palestinian actor Motaz Malhees blocked from Oscars by Trump travel ban
Palestinian actor Motaz Malhees said a travel ban imposed by Donald Trump’s administration is preventing him from attending Sunday’s Academy Awards, whose nominees include a movie in which he has a starring role.
The Voice of Hind Rajab, a film about a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in Gaza in 2024, has been Oscar-nominated for best international feature film.
Malhees, who plays the role of a call centre operator attempting to help her, said he cannot attend the Academy Awards show, known as the Oscars, because he has been barred from entering the US.
“I am not allowed to enter the United States because of my Palestinian citizenship,” Malhees said on Instagram, adding, “it hurts” he would not attend the Oscars.
In a December proclamation restricting entry of foreign nationals, Trump said he had “determined to fully restrict and limit the entry of individuals using travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority.”