Gigi Hadid called the Israel-Palestine conflict an “unjustifiable tragedy”.
The Israeli government’s official Instagram account slammed model Gigi Hadid over a post she shared about the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict on her Instagram story. “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,” her post read.
The account of the State of Israel responded to the same and said that her silence has very been clear about her stand in the conflict. She had shown her support to Palestine’s struggle while also condemning the violence that is taking place as a result of the attacks. “Have you been sleeping this past week? 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 Israeli government wrote on Sunday.
They also shared their version of the graphic, similar to Ms Hadid’s, where they drew comparisons between ISIS and Hamas. “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,” they added.
The government of Israel also shared a picture of a room covered in blood with toys and children’s clothing on the floor. They added, “If you don’t condemn this, your words mean nothing.”
The 28-year-old, who is a person of Palestinian origin herself has been a longtime advocate for the “Free Palestine” movement alongside her sister Bella Hadid. Last week, she spoke out about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, and called it an “unjustifiable tragedy”.
The model said that she feels a responsibility to her Jewish friends to make it clear that she does not support the harm of any Jewish person. She also said that she believes being pro-Palestine does not equal being antisemitic. “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,” she wrote on Instagram last week.
“The terrorizing of innocent people is not in alignment with and does not do any good for the ‘Free Palestine movement. The idea that it does has fueled a painful, decades-long cycle of back-and-forth retaliation (which no innocent civilian, Palestinian or Israeli, deserves to be a casualty of) and helps perpetuate the false idea that being pro-Palestine = antisemitic,” Ms Hadid added.
She shared her condolences with both Palestinians and Jews and wished them strength and love. “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 both,” she concluded.