Adidas apologizes to Bella Hadid for dropping her from shoe ad criticized by Israel

globalnews.ca:

Adidas has issued an apology to supermodel Bella Hadid for the “negative impact” of a shoe campaign that paid tribute to the 1972 Munich Olympics.The apology is the second from the sportswear brand, which just last week removed Hadid from the campaign and said it would be “revising” its advertising over criticism from Israel.Hadid, who is half-Palestinian, was photographed for Adidas’ relaunch of the retro SL72 trainers.The shoe was originally created to mark the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, where eight members of the Palestinian militant group Black September invaded the Olympic Village and killed two Israeli athletes. Nine other Israelis were taken hostage.The hostages, five Black September attackers and a German police officer were killed in a failed rescue attempt.After Hadid’s Adidas campaign was launched, Israel accused the 27-year-old model of antisemitism “and calling for violence against Israelis and Jews.”Hadid has faced criticism from Israel in the past, namely for her vocal pro-Palestinian support and her advocacy for relief efforts for Palestinians in Gaza during the Israel-Hamas conflict..@Adidas recently launched a new campaign for their shoes to highlight the 1972 Munich Olympics.Eleven Israelis were murdered by Palestinian terrorists during the Munich Olympics.Guess who the face of their campaign is? Bella Hadid, a half-Palestinian model who has a history… pic.twitter.com/IgdGq2OLmd— Israel ישראל (@Israel) July 18, 2024In a statement last week, Adidas said any connections to “tragic historical events” were “unintentional.”“We apologise for any upset or distress caused,” the company wrote.