Adidas has drawn outrage for re-releasing a retro sneaker from the 1972 Olympics and using anti-Israel supermodel Bella Hadid to market it, the same year that 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were killed by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympics.
Hadid and her sister Gigi, who are descended from her father, have faced criticism for their support of Palestinian relief efforts since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
The German sportswear company announced on Monday that it will relaunch its classic SL 72 shoe ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The date also marks the 52nd anniversary of the “Munich massacre,” when members of the Palestinian terrorist organization Black September stormed the Olympic Village and took Israeli athletes and coaches hostage, ultimately killing them.
The State of Israel's official social media accounts asked Adidas to explain why Hadid was chosen to represent the shoe at such a tense time.
” [Adidas’] “Who is the star of this campaign? Bella Hadid, a Palestinian model with a history of spreading anti-Semitism and calling for violence against Israelis and Jews,” posted an account run by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
The pro-Israel American Jewish Committee also slammed the shoe company for its insensitive advertising campaign.
“Adidas' choice of a vociferously anti-Israel model to recall these dark Olympics is either a huge oversight or deliberate incitement. Neither is acceptable,” the company tweeted.
“We call on Adidas to rectify this serious error.”
In May, Hadid, 27, attended the 2024 Cannes Film Festival wearing a dress made from keffiyeh fabric, a traditional Arab checked headdress that celebrated her Palestinian heritage and has become a symbol of Palestinian unity and identity amid the protests.
In June, it was reported that Bella and Gigi Hadid were planning to donate $1 million to support Palestinian relief efforts.
Some of the cash is expected to go to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, a struggling UN aid agency whose staff are said to have ties to Hamas.
In January, UNRWA announced it had fired nine of 12 staff members whom Israel said were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people and kidnapped 253.
Bella previously marched on behalf of her compatriots during the 2021 protests.
Other stars appearing in the ad campaign include French soccer star Jules Koundé, rapper and songwriter A$AP Nast, musician Melissa Vonn and model Sabrina Lan, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Post has reached out to Adidas for comment.
Hadid's father, Mohammed Anwar Hadid, was born into a Palestinian Muslim family and has long been a vocal advocate for Palestinian rights.
Hadid came under fire earlier this year for sending exploitative messages attacking New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, a pro-Israel progressive Democrat. Hadid later apologized.
