Bella Hadid responds to criticism over Adidas ad labeled antisemitic

US model Bella Hadid said she was “shocked” and “disappointed” by the “lack of sensitivity” in the Adidas ad campaign that she featured in, inspired by the 1972 Munich Olympics Games where Israeli athletes were taken hostage and killed.

The advertising campaign for the sneakers, the SL72s, was swiftly met with backlash on social media after users accused the ad called the “Originals SL 72” of referring to the 1972 Olympic games that saw 11 Israeli athletes taken hostage by Palestinian militants during the event and later killed.

Hadid, 27, issued a statement in an Instagram story on Monday.

“I would never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind,” she wrote.

“In advance of the campaign’s release, I had no knowledge of the historical connection to the atrocious events in 1972.”

The model, who is of Palestinian descent and actively advocates for the Palestinian cause, quickly became the focus of the criticism.

Adidas apologized in a statement on July 19, saying it had made an “unintentional mistake,” confirming to AFP that Hadid had been removed from the ad.

While the Adidas campaign made no mention of the Munich attack, much of the outrage was focused on Hadid’s Palestinian roots and pro-Palestinian stance, which many connected to the 1972 killings.

“Guess who the face of their campaign is?” the official X account for Israel posted. “Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model who has a history of spreading antisemitism and calling for violence against Israelis and Jews.”

“For Adidas to pick a vocal anti-Israel model to recall this dark Olympics is either a massive oversight or intentionally inflammatory,” the American Jewish Committee wrote in a statement on X. “Neither is acceptable.”

Hadid, born 24 years after the Munich Olympics, said she would have not participated in the campaign had she been aware.

“My team should have known, Adidas should have known and I should have done more research so that I too would have known and understood, and spoken up.”

She added: “I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign.”

No place for antisemitism in the Palestinian cause

The Palestinian-American model said she would continue to stand for the Palestinian people and advocate against antisemitism.

“I do not believe in hate of any form, including antisemitism. That will never waver, and I stand by that statement to the fullest extent,” she said. “I will forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of antisemitism.”

The ad campaign released earlier this month, saw Hadid holding a floral bouquet for the relaunch of the sneakers, which originally debuted in 1972. In her statement, Hadid described herself as a “proud Palestinian woman.”

She said: “Connecting the liberation of the Palestinian people to an attack so tragic, is something that hurts my heart.”

“Palestine is not synonymous with terrorism and this campaign unintentionally highlighted an event that does not represent who we are.”

Meanwhile, Adidas said it was “revising the remainder of the campaign.” The SL72 shoes are still available for purchase on the company’s website.