Adidas pulled an ad campaign featuring model Bella Hadid, who is Palestinian, after Israel’s official social media accounts criticized her involvement and called her antisemitic.
Hadid has been a vocal supporter of Palestinians in Gaza, tens of thousands of whom have died since Israel’s military invaded the territory after the October 7 Hamas attack. She and her sister, Gigi, have attended marches, donated at least $1 million to aid groups for Palestinians, and spoken out against the killing of innocent Palestinian and Israeli civilians.
While Hadid’s ads have been pulled, the SL 72 shoes remain available for purchase on the Adidas site, which touts them as an “archival favorite” from the 1972 Munich Olympics.
“Introduced in 1972, SL 72 shoes and sneakers from Adidas revolutionized running for track-and-field athletes seeking speed and agility on the track,” the company’s website says.
Israel also criticized the campaign as a whole. During the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Palestinian militants killed 11 Israeli athletes and coaches inside the Olympic Village.
“Eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics,” Israel’s official X account, which is run by the country’s foreign ministry, posted. “Guess who the face of their campaign is? Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model who has a history of spreading antisemitism and calling for violence against Israelis and Jews.”
A spokesperson for Adidas did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider but in a statement to CBS News, the company said it was “revising the remainder of the campaign.”
“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 company said.
It’s not the first time Hadid has faced the ire of Israeli officials.
In 2021, Israel accused Hadid of “advocating for the elimination of the Jewish State” when she joined a pro-Palestinian march in New York and live-streamed it. The march happened in May 2021 after Israel launched over 1,000 air and artillery strikes into Gaza, killing over 100 Palestinians and striking a building in Gaza housing international news organizations.
A spokesperson for Hadid did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
In a 2021 post pinned to the top of her Instagram, Hadid promised to continue learning and speaking out on behalf of Palestinians “with only love in my heart and an open mind.”
“A Palestinian girl on the cover of Vogue. The joy it brings me to say that… I won’t stop talking about the systematic oppression, pain and humility that Palestinians face on a regular basis,” she wrote at the time.
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