Adidas drops Bella Hadid from campaign after Israeli government criticism

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Adidas has removed images of model Bella Hadid from a big-budget campaign following criticism from Israel.

The Guardian The newspaper reports that the sportswear company said it was “reviewing” its campaign promoting a sports shoe first launched for the 1972 Munich Olympics, when 11 members of the Israeli team were taken hostage and later murdered by Palestinian terrorists.

Hadid, who has Palestinian roots, has previously been criticized by the Israeli government for allegedly chanting the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and has been accused of anti-Semitism.

Israel’s official X account (formerly Twitter) said it objected to Hadid being “the face of the (Adidas) campaign.”

Adidas said in a statement that the SL72 campaign “brings together a wide range of partners.” “We recognize that connections have been made to tragic historical events – albeit completely unintentional – and we apologize for any upset or distress caused.”

“As a result, we are reviewing the remainder of the campaign.”

Hadid has often expressed her support for Palestinians in Gaza. Last month, she and her sister Gigi pledged to donate $1 million to humanitarian efforts in the region.