American model Bella Hadid has spoken out for the first time after she starred in a controversial Adidas campaign earlier this month that was criticized by Israel, saying she “would never have participated” had she done more research into it.
Hadid had appeared in ads for the rerelease of the brand’s classic SL 72 sneaker, which debuted with the 1972 Munich Olympics, where the Palestinian militant group Black September killed 11 Israeli athletes and a German police officer.
[time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”]
The SL72 campaign was promoted widely, and even appeared on a billboard in New York City’s Times Square.
In a statement posted to an Instagram story on Monday, Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, said she would “never knowingly engage with any art or work that is linked to a horrific tragedy of any kind.”
Hadid said she was unaware of the association until after the campaign was live.
“I am shocked, I am upset, and I am disappointed in the lack of sensitivity that went into this campaign. Had I been made aware, from the bottom of my heart, I would never have participated,” Hadid wrote. “I do not believe in hate in any form, including anti-semitism.”
Adidas swiftly dropped the Hadid advertisement and pulled the sneaker campaign. They also apologized for their “unintentional mistake” after reports that she was considering legal action against the sportswear brand.
Hadid, a longtime pro-Palestinian advocate, has been criticized by Israel at various points.
In June, both she and her sister Gigi Hadid donated $1 million toward Palestinian humanitarian relief charities. Hadid was also photographed at the Cannes film festival in May wearing a red Keffiyeh dress by Michael & Hushi, a nod to the Palestinian scarf that is worn as a national symbol. Hadid posted the image on Instagram, calling on her millions of followers to educate themselves on Gaza’s plight.
At least 39,000 Palestinians have been killed amid Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza, according to the Strip’s Hamas-run health ministry, figures the U.S. and U.N. deem credible. Around 1,200 people in Israel were killed during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
In her statement on Monday, Hadid said that she will “forever stand by my people of Palestine while continuing to advocate for a world free of anti-semitism.”
“I am a proud Palestinian woman and there is so much more to our culture than the things that have been equated over the past week,” she added.