The studio announced that Sabra, a Mossad agent in comic books, will play the role of “a high-ranking U.S. government official” in the upcoming Captain America movie.

Two years ago, Marvel Studios announced that they had chosen Israeli actress Shira Haas to play the role of Sabra, a Mossad agent superhero, in the upcoming “Captain America” film. Israelis celebrated this news while Palestinians criticized it.

Marvel Studios mentioned that the character of Sabra would be portrayed differently in the film, but did not provide details. Recently, Marvel released a trailer for the movie, in which Sabra is described as a high-ranking U.S. government official, rather than an agent of Mossad as in the comics.

This change has led to some backlash, with critics arguing that it diminishes Israeli and Jewish representation in the movie. Israeli newspapers have highlighted this issue, with headlines stating that Sabra’s Israeli identity has been removed in the new Captain America film.

The American Jewish Committee said on social media that Marvel’s “decision to strip the Israeli identity of Sabra is a betrayal of the character’s creators and fans and a capitulation to intimidation. Sabra is a proud Israeli hero, and should be portrayed as such. Taking away such a central part of her identity would be like making Captain America Canadian.”

It was not clear whether Sabra — alter ego: Ruth Bat-Seraph — still has Israeli origins in the movie, as her superhero name suggests. “Sabra” is a Hebrew word for a local cactus bush that doubles as an affectionate term for native Israelis. It also the name of a refugee camp in Lebanon where Palestinians were massacred in 1982 by a Christian militia while Israeli troops stood by, though the superhero predated that event. Haas appears only briefly in the new trailer, and a Marvel spokeswoman declined to comment.

When Marvel said Sabra would be introduced in this “Captain America” movie two years ago, the prospect drew criticism from Palestinians and their supporters who argued that the comic book character, which dates back to 1980, unduly glorified Israel. The hashtag #CaptainApartheid began to appear on social media.

“The bottom line is that to Palestinians, Marvel having an Israeli superhero whitewashes the occupation,” Sani Meo, publisher of This Week in Palestine, a magazine about Palestinian issues, said at the time.

After Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct.7, and Israel fought in Gaza, people wondered how Marvel Studios, owned by Disney, would deal with the character.

Newsweek mentioned in October that Disney faced a challenge with their Israeli superhero. It is still unknown what role Sabra will play in the movie, scheduled for release in February.