Adidas pulls Bella Hadid from its advertising campaign after criticism from Israel, which accuses the model of anti-Semitism

Sports brand Adidas has removed images of Bella Hadid from an advertising campaign following protests from the Israeli government, which accused the model of anti-Semitism. In the campaign, the American promoted the SL72 tennis model, originally launched at the 1972 Munich Olympics, where 11 members of the Israeli delegation were killed in an attack by a pro-Palestinian extremist group called Black September.

Adidas’ decision came after the official Israeli social media account of Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model who has a history of spreading anti-Semitism and calling for violence against Israelis and Jews. She and her father frequently promote anti-Semitic conspiracies against Jews,” the post reads.

.@Adidas It recently launched a new campaign for its shoes to highlight the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Eleven Israelis were killed by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics.

Guess who is the face of her campaign? Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model who has a story… pic.twitter.com/IgdGq2OLmd

— Israel ישראל (@Israel) July 18, 2024

In response, Adidas removed the model’s image, apologising for “any inconvenience caused” and assuring that it is rethinking the campaign. “We are aware that links have been made to tragic historical events – although this was not intended – and we apologise for any inconvenience or distress caused,” the brand said, as quoted by The Guardian, adding: “We are therefore reviewing the remaining campaign plan.”

With family roots in Palestine, Bella Hadid had been criticized several times by the Israeli government. One of them was for having sung the song “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, which in Israel is seen as a pro-Hamas phrase and supposedly encouraging violence. Over the years, the model has criticized Israeli leaders and supported the Palestinian people. On October 26, shortly after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, she took to Instagram to mourn the deaths of innocent people and ask her followers to pressure their leaders to protect civilians in Gaza.