adidas drops Bella Hadid from ad following backlash and Israeli criticism

Adidas has reportedly dropped model Bella Hadid from an advertising campaign marketing retro trainers referencing the 1972 Munich Olympics. In a statement to AFP, adidas confirmed that Hadid had been removed from the campaign, and that it would be "revising the remainder of the campaign".

The move comes as the official Israeli X account criticised the choice of Hadid being used due to her pro-Palestinian stance and noted that 11 Israeli athletes had been killed by Palestinian attackers at the Munich Games. The account also roped in her father saying the duo “frequently promote blood libels and antisemitic conspiracies against Jews”. The American Jewish Committee called the campaign an “egregious error” that was either “a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory”.

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In an Instagram story posted by adidas Originals, it says that these connections were “unintentional”, and that it apologises for any upset or distress caused to communities around the world. It also apologised to its partners Bella Hadid, A$AP Nast and Jule Kounde for the negative impact inflicted on them, citing that it would revise the campaign.

But some have jumped on to Hadid's defense. Journalist Mehdi Hasan said Hadid had nothing in common with the 1972 terrorists, and that the outcry towards the campaign was unjustified on the basis of her ethnicity. Others have called for the boycott of adidas.

According to dailymail and TMZ, the half-Palestinian model has since hired legal counsel to take action against adidas for its reported lack of public accountability.

Meanwhile, the American-born fashion model continues to voice her support for Palestine. Journalist Sulaiman Ahmed posted a video of Hadid at an event, saying that “By now, many of you know that I support the Palestinian cause, very very passionately.” She was also seen at pro-Palestinian protests in early 2021 according to CNN. 

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