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Bella Hadid has taken to Instagram to call for “humanity and compassion” in a statement addressing violence in Palestine and Israel. The half-Palestinian supermodel has been a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights, and previously marched in protests supporting the Free Palestine movement. She opened her lengthy October 26 statement — which comes a little over a week after her older sister Gigi was called out by the State of Israel’s official Instagram — by asking followers to forgive her for her “silence.” “I’ve been sent hundreds of death threats daily, my phone number has been leaked, and my family has felt to be in danger,” Hadid wrote. “But I can not be silenced any longer. Fear is not an option. The people and children of Palestine, especially in Gaza, cannot afford our silence. We are not brave – they are.”
Referencing the aftermath of airstrikes in Gaza, Hadid expressed, “My heart is bleeding with pain from the trauma I am seeing unfold, as well as the generational trauma of my Palestinian blood.” She noted that she is also mourning for Israeli families who have suffered losses and separations, writing, “Regardless of the history of the land, I condemn the terrorist attacks on any civilians, anywhere. Harming women and children and inflicting terror does not and should not do any good for the Free Palestine movement. I believe deep in my heart, that no child, no people anywhere, should be taken away from their family either temporarily or indefinitely.”
Hadid went on to push back against the perception of Palestinians as “nothing more than terrorists resisting peace.” She pointed to her own family’s history, sharing that her father and grandparents were “expelled from their home of Palestine, becoming refugees” nine days after his birth in 1948. “My family witnessed 75 years of violence against Palestinian people – most notably, brutal settler invasions which led to the destruction of entire communities, murder in cold blood and the forcible removal of families from their homes,” she wrote. “The practice of settlements on Palestinian land still continues to this day. The pain of that is unimaginable.”
Ultimately, Hadid issued a call for “humanity and compassion,” noting, “We are one, and God has created all equal. All bloodshed, tears, and bodies should be mourned with the same respect.” Her statement concluded by urging for a global response to humanitarian needs in Gaza. “We need to keep pressure on our leaders, wherever we are, not to forget the urgent needs of the people of Gaza, and to ensure that innocent Palestinian civilians are not the forgotten casualties of this war,” she said. “I stand with humanity, knowing that peace and safety belong to us all.” Read Hadid’s full statement below.
Israel’s Ben Gvir lashes out at Bella Hadid over Palestinians’ rights comment
Far-right politician calls supermodel ‘Israel hater’ after she rebukes him for his ‘inflammatory’ remarks
Supermodel Bella Hadid rebuked Israel’s national security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, for saying his rights were more important than those of Palestinians, prompting a jeering response from the far-right politician.
“To the Israel hater Bella Hadid, good morning,” Ben Gvir said on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Friday.
He then proceeded to double down on controversial comments he made earlier this week in which he said his rights were “more important” than those of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Bella Hadid, who is of Palestinian origin, took to Instagram on Wednesday to condemn the far-right politician’s remarks.
“In no place, no time, especially in 2023 should one life be more valuable than another’s. Especially simply because of their ethnicity, culture, or pure hatred,” she wrote on her Instagram story.
Responding to the post, Ben Gvir accused Hadid of trying to portray him as “racist and backward”.
“I don’t apologise or take back my comments. I will repeat them 1,000 times,” he said.
Speaking in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, Ben Gvir on Wednesday said that he and his family’s right “to get around on the roads” in the West Bank was “more important than the right to movement for Arabs”.
“That’s the reality. That’s the truth. My right to life comes before their right to movement,” he said.
His comments have sparked backlash and condemnation inside and outside of Israel.
The United States State Department called them “inflammatory” and said it condemned “all racist rhetoric”.
Ben Gvir lives in a settlement in the West Bank near Hebron and has invited Hadid to visit Kiryat Arba “to see how we live here”.
Nearly 700,000 settlers live in more than 250 settlements and outposts across the West Bank and East Jerusalem in violation of international law.
Hadid, born in the United States to a Palestinian father, has been a vocal critic of Israel.
Her advocacy for Palestinian rights on her Instagram account, which boasts nearly 60 million followers, has previously drawn the criticism of members of the Israeli parliament and even the official Israeli account on X.
‘Backwards racist’
The exchange between the model and and minister has garnered widespread reactions from within Israel and beyond.
Many Israeli social media users rallied behind Hadid against Ben Gvir, underscoring his “extreme views”.
אם לא תהיה גזען חשוך לא תצא גזען חשוך.
— הייטקיסטית ???????? (@hahightechistit) August 25, 2023
ג׳סט סיינג.
????♀️ https://t.co/bZolvhjjyy
One user mockingly stated “don’t forget to take her to Baruch Goldstein’s grave in Meir Kahane Park”, referring to a settler who massacred 29 Palestinians in 1994 while they stood for prayer in the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron.
Ben Gvir has in the past expressed his admiration of Goldstein.
Another user called on the minister to focus on “doing his job” instead of responding to models on social media.
Ben Gvir, who has a long track record of expressing racist, anti-Palestinian views, joined the extremist Jewish Kach party at a young age and was arrested and charged multiple times over his violent activism against Palestinians.
Meanwhile, Gigi Hadid Called Out by State of Israel on Instagram for Post About Israel-Hamas War: ‘Have You Been Sleeping This Past Week?’
Gigi Hadid was called out by the State of Israel Instagram page for a post she shared related to the Israel-Hamas war. The supermodel shared a graphic to her Instagram story that read: “There is nothing Jewish about the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians. Condemning the Israeli government is not antisemitic and supporting Palestinians is not supporting Hamas.”
“Have you been sleeping the past week?” the State of Israel wrote on Instagram in reaction to Hadid’s post. “Or are you just fine turning a blind eye to Jewish babies being butchered in their homes? Your silence has been very clear about where you stand. We see you.”
The State of Israel provided its own version of the graphic Hadid originally shared. The revised text read: “There is nothing valiant about Hamas’ massacre of Israelis. Condemning Hamas for what it is (ISIS) is not anti-Palestine and supporting Israelis in their fight against barbaric terrorists is the right thing to do.”
In a secondary post, the State of Israel’s Instagram account shared an image of a bloodied floor with children’s toys and wrote to Hadid: “If you don’t condemn this your words mean nothing.”
Hadid has not been entirely silent on the Israel-Hamas war, as she took to Instagram last week to share a statement on the matter to her millions of followers.
“My thoughts are with all those affected by this unjustifiable tragedy, and every day that innocent lives are taken by this conflict too many of which are children,” Hadid shared at the time. “I have deep empathy and heartbreak for the Palestinian struggle and life under occupation, it’s a responsibility I hold daily. I also feel a responsibility to my Jewish friends to make it clear, as I have before: While I have hopes and dreams for Palestinians, none of them include the harm of a Jewish person. The terrorizing of innocent people is not in alignment with and does not do any good for the ‘Free Palestine’ movement.
“If you are hurting, as I share my condolences today with my loved ones, both Palestinian and Jewish, I’m sending you my love & strength whoever and wherever you are,” Hadid continued. “There are a lot of complex, personal, and valid feelings, but every human deserves basic rights, treatment, and security; no matter their nationality, religion, ethnicity, or where they were born. I know my words will never be enough or heal the deep wounds of So many, but I pray for the safety of innocent lives, always.”
Los Angeles Times
Madeline Fass
Amandine Lhoste
