The shoe company drops a Palestinian model because she stands publicly against the genocide and ethnic cleansing of her people.
German sportswear giant Adidas has dropped American model Bella Hadid from their advertising campaign for retro sneakers after facing criticism from Israel. Hadid, whose Palestinian father was born in Nazareth, has been a vocal advocate for the rights of the ethnonational group, calling for an end to the bloodshed in Gaza.
She has repeatedly criticized the Israeli government over the ongoing Gaza conflict, which to date has claimed over 38,000 Palestinian lives. In October 2023, the IDF launched a military operation in the enclave in response to a deadly Hamas raid that had left approximately 1,200 Israelis dead.
Bella and her sister Gigi, also a model with millions of social media followers, have participated in several pro-Palestinian demonstrations, publicly accusing Israel of committing “genocide” in the enclave. The Hadid sisters have also donated $1 million to support multiple 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 (UNRWA).
“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,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on X on Thursday. Adidas responded that the company would be “revising the remainder of the campaign” with immediate effect without giving further details.
This may not turn out as the positive public relations statement for Adidas that the company assumes. Most of the world is now standing squarely against Israel’s attack on the Palestinian people, and it’s generally not a good idea to outsource your marketing decisions to a foreign government’s spokesman. I very much doubt this decision will end well for Adidas.
The fact is that no amount of crying Holocaust, Hamas, or “Israel has a right to defend itself” can justify either the October 7th green flag or the IDF “response” that was obviously planned well in advance. Everyone knows very well that the Netanyahu regime is attempting to complete the ethnic cleansing that was begun in 1948, which is why everyone around the world, both left and right, now despises it.
Netanyahu might still get away with his gamble, but it was always going to be very difficult trying to sell ethnic cleansing for me, diversity for thee.
In the meantime, Israel’s war with Yemen has now officially gone hot. No doubt the Yemenis will be duly chastened and release their stranglehold on the Red Sea.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has praised the Israel Defense Forces for carrying out a “precise and successful operation” over 1,700 kilometers away from the country’s borders, which he says serves as a clear warning to all enemies of the Jewish state. The Israeli military launched its first-ever direct large-scale air raid against Yemen on Saturday, targeting the port city of Hodeidah. The attack triggered a massive fire at the port’s oil terminal and left at least 80 people injured, according to a preliminary tally by the health ministry in Sanaa.