Adidas drops Palestinian-American supermodel Bella Hadid from ad campaign after backlash from Israel

By kevinhughes // 2024-07-26

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Multinational sportswear giant Adidas has dropped Palestinian-American supermodel Bella Hadid from its advertising campaign for retro sneakers after receiving criticism from Israel. Hadid's father, Mohamed Hadid, was born in Nazareth just days before the nascent State of Israel began the first phase of the expulsion of Palestinians from what is now internationally recognized as Israeli territory. She has been a vocal supporter for the human rights of Palestinians and has, since the beginning of the current conflict in Gaza, been advocating for a ceasefire and an end to the bloodshed. The 27-year-old supermodel has repeatedly criticized the Israeli government over its killing of nearly 40,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians. (Related: ICJ orders Israel to end its unlawful occupation of Palestinian territories.) Hadid and her older sister Gigi, also a supermodel, have participated in numerous pro-Palestine demonstrations. Hadid has used her platform as a supermodel with millions of followers on multiple social media platforms to accuse Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. She and Gigi have also donated upwards of $1 million to assist several Palestinian relief efforts in Gaza, including HEAL Palestine, the Palestine Children's Relief Fund, World Central Kitchen and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

Israel criticizing Adidas over flimsy connection to Munich Massacre

Recently, Adidas reintroduced its SL 72 sneakers, which it described as "retro-inspired classics with effortless appeal." The sneakers were first displayed during the 1972 Munich Olympics, but its unveiling was overshadowed by the Munich Massacre, in which several Palestinian militants from the Black September Organization killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches and a German police officer after storming into the Olympic village and taking them hostage. As part of its campaign reintroducing the SL 72 sneakers, Adidas released an ad that featured Hadid, whose only connection to the Munich Massacre is that she is Palestinian. "For Adidas to pick a vocal anti-Israel model to recall this dark Olympics is either a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory. Neither is acceptable. We call on Adidas to address this egregious error," the American Jewish Committee declared in a statement on social media. The Israeli Foreign Ministry posted on its account on X on Thursday, July 18: "Guess who the face of their campaign is? Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model who has a history of spreading anti-Semitism and calling for violence against Israelis and Jews." Adidas replied that the company would be "revising the remainder of the campaign" with instant effect without providing additional details. "We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events – though these are completely unintentional – and we apologize for any upset or distress caused," the corporation said in a statement on Friday, July 19. The move to remove Hadid from the campaign has sparked anger on social media with prominent American conservative commentator Candace Owens calling it "gross." "You really have some audacity harassing them after the family survived as refugees and a generation later made something of themselves," Owens responded to the Israeli X post. "Opposing genocide does not make you anti-Semitic… It makes you human," another user replied, with many others calling for a boycott of the sportswear corporation. In the wake of the criticism, Hadid was rumored to have hired a legal team to sue Adidas. She has not publicly commented on the controversial campaign and Israel's response, but she has removed images of herself wearing the SL 72 from her social media accounts. Hadid's Instagram was showered with remarks of support, with several stating she is "too good for Adidas" and others declaring they would boycott the company. Meanwhile, Adidas has apologized to Hadid after the company pulled the ad that featured the model. Learn the latest news involving Israel at IsraelCollapse.com. Watch this interview of Bella Hadid's older sister Alana as she talks about Israel and Palestine. This video is from the Pool Pharmacy channel on Brighteon.com.

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Israel criticizing Adidas over flimsy connection to Munich Massacre

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