Adidas pulls Bella Hadid sneaker ads, ‘revising’ campaign after Israel backlash

American-Palestinian model Bella Hadid is reportedly taking legal action against Adidas for featuring her in an ad campaign referencing the massacre of Israeli athletes.

Supermodel Bella Hadid is reportedly taking legal action against Adidas, according to TMZ.

The athleticwear giant recently featured the American fashion model in a shoe campaign inspired by the 1972 Munich Olympics.

However, the campaign received backlash and criticism, especially from the state of Israel, which was the target of a terrorist attack during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, by eight members of the Palestinian militant organization Black September. Eleven Israeli Olympians died in the attack.

Bella Hadid was featured in an Adidas campaign which references the 1972 Munich Olympics and the massacre of Israeli athletes. Picture: AFP

Sources told TMZ that Hadid, who has Palestinian heritage, has retained lawyers to take action against Adidas for a campaign that may have damaged her reputation.

.@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, 2024

Hadid is reportedly upset the company would put out a campaign that would associate her with a tragedy like the Munich Massacre at the ’72 Olympics, especially in the current context of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Adidas said on Friday that it was “revising” the retro-style ad campaign.

The German sneaker giant partnered with Hadid to promote its classic SL72 sneaker, which was first released for the Munich Olympics – where a Palestinian militant group took the Israeli team and coaches hostage and killed 11, including a German police officer.

A terrorist wearing a makeshift face mask while he peers out from balcony of Israeli Olympic squad's headquaters at Olympic village in Munich, 1972. Picture: Supplied

Police above Arab extremists from the Black September group who held the Israeli team hostage in 1972. Picture: Supplied

“We are conscious that connections have been made to tragic historical events – though these are completely unintentional – and we apologize for any upset or distress caused,” an Adidas spokesperson told the New York Post in a statement.

The Israeli government posted to X to slam Hadid’s involvement with the campaign, claiming the model “has a history of spreading antisemitism and calling for violence against Israelis and Jews.”

“She and her father frequently promote blood libels and antisemitic conspiracies against Jews,” the Israeli government said in a post.

The American Jewish Committee also denounced the campaign and questioned how Adidas could have possibly overlooked the connection to the massacre.

Bella Hadid on May 23, 2024 in Cannes, France. Picture: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images

Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, has repeatedly made public remarks criticising the Israeli government and supporting Palestinians.

After Israel declared war on Hamas, triggered by the 7 October attacks, she posted a statement on Instagram lamenting the loss of life while calling on followers to pressure their leaders to protect the people in Gaza.

Originally published as Adidas pulls Bella Hadid sneaker ads, ‘revising’ campaign after Israel backlash