Israeli officials, including a current and former ambassador to the United Nations, are blasting Watson and accusing her of being anti-Semitic on social media due to her support of a pro-Palestinian rally.
Since its Monday posting, Watson's image has accrued 1.2 million likes and more than 100,000 comments.
"Fiction may work in Harry Potter but it does not work in reality", tweeted Gilad Erdanm, Israel's current ambassador to the UN. "If it did, the magic used in the wizarding world could eliminate the evils of Hamas (which oppresses women and seeks the annihilation of Israel) and the [Palestinian Authority] (which supports terror). I would be in favor of that!"
"10 points from Gryffindor for being an antisemite", quipped Danny Danon, who previously served as Israeli ambassador to the UN in the government of former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
However, netizens overwhelmingly opposed the officials' criticism of Watson's post.
Several Twitter users also called out Danon for labelling the actress as an anti-Semite, pointing out the support of Palestinians does not warrant the weaponisation of such a term.