After weeks of posting pro-Palestinian messages on her Instagram, which have been criticized as inflammatory and often flat out wrong, supermodel Gigi Hadid has shared a post that appears to be somewhat of an apology. This is the first time she has done so.
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"As someone of Palestinian descent, the endless heartbreaking news and imagery coming out of Gaza has been painful and often overwhelming," the post read. "It is important to me to share real stories about the hardships that Palestinians have endured and continue to endure, but this weekend I shared something that I did not fact check or deeply think about prior to reposting."
This comes following an earlier post of hers, in which she said Israel is the only country that imprisons children as POWs, referring to 13-year-old Palestinian Ahmad Manasra, who tore through the streets of a Jewish settlement in east Jerusalem, armed with knives. His cousin, Hassan, critically wounded a 13-year-old Israeli boy who was leaving a candy store and stabbed another Israeli man. He was shot dead by police. Ahmad was run over by a car, beaten and jeered by Israeli passers-by.
In her latest post, she backtracked from this post. "I wanted to show the ways in which international law is being undermined by the Israeli government. In this case, I was trying to highlight how Palestinian children who are arrested by the IDF are often not given the same rights as an Israeli child accused of the same crime would. Unfortunately, I used the wrong example to make that point and I regret that."
She went on to say, "My focus was intended to be on human rights issues. That is why I also want to reiterate that attacking any human, which of course includes Jewish people, is NEVER OK. Taking innocent people hostage is NEVER OK. Harming someone BECAUSE they are Jewish is NEVER OK. It is wrong. To want freedom and humane treatment for Palestinians and to also want safety for Jewish people can both be important to the same person – including myself."
Putting the focus on equal treatment, she said: "No matter the crime, when speaking about democracy, everyone should have the same rights – and a Palestinian child, even if he is accused of a horrific crime, deserves the same rights that an Israeli child would have under the same circumstances."
Unlike many celebrities who voice their opinions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict without substantial knowledge, supermodel Gigi Hadid and her sister Bella have a personal connection to the issue. Their father, Mohamed Hadid, was born in Nazareth in 1948. Shortly after his birth, his family fled to Lebanon and then to Syria due to regional unrest. Despite being born and raised in Los Angeles, the Hadid sisters have a direct family link to the Palestinian cause - In a past interview, Mohamed Hadid shared that an Israeli family took over their home after they had provided them shelter.
Gigi Hadid spoke of her grandfather, Mohamed Anwar Hadid, this week, saying she can't remember much of him since she was very young when he died, and lamented the fact he wasn't laid to rest in the place he was born. She said that's the main reason why she stands up for Palestinian rights today.
The influence of the Hadid sisters, Gigi and Bella, is potent and potentially more impactful than other celebrities due to their personal connection to the Palestinian cause. As descendants of a Palestinian family that once lived in Israel, they are often seen as authoritative voices on the issue.
It's important to note that Gigi alone has over 79.1 million followers, more than double the global Jewish population. The Hadid's significant influence extends to their friends, colleagues and the brands they work with in the fashion and entertainment industries. These connections amplify their views, which are often accepted without question.