Palestinian-American supermodel Gigi Hadid recently came under fire for calling out Israel for being the “only country” in the world that “keeps children as prisoners of war.” Her claims were rubbished and dubbed antisemitic by pro-Israel groups, following which, she removed her post.
Now, she has released a statement, apologizing for her failure to “fact-check”, consequently disappointing Palestine supporters, who are calling her out for “disgracefully caving to Zionist pressure and slandering Ahmad Manasra.”
Initial post
Palestinian-American model Gigi Hadid has posted a story on Instagram saying that "Israel is the only country in the world that keeps children as prisoners of war."
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) November 28, 2023
Hadid was later forced to remove the post under pressure from pro-Israel groups. pic.twitter.com/DME4i779JU
On her Instagram Story, Hadid had shared a post about Manasra, a 22-year-old Palestinian prisoner, who was initially arrested at the age of 13 in a case that led to global outrage. International bodies, including the United Nations and European Union, had called for his immediate release in July and August, 2022, respectively.
The post Gigi shared, read, “Ahmed Al-Manasra, abducted by the Israeli occupation at the age of 12, has endured solitary confinement despite his severe health condition. Hundreds of Palestinian children remain detained, suffering in Israeli jail.” To caption this, she had written, “Israel is the only country in the world that keeps children as prisoners of war. ABDUCTION, RAPE, HUMILIATION, TORTURE, MURDER OF PALESTINIANS YEARS AND YEARS AND YEARS BEFORE October 7 2023.”
Consequent apology
Gigi’s follow-up apology-cum-call out continues to echo the Palestinian sentiment about human rights and freedom to live. “As someone of Palestinian descent, the endless heartbreaking news and imagery coming out of Gaza has been painful and often overwhelming,” Gigi’s post reads.
“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,” adds the model. “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,” she continues.
“Unfortunately, I used the wrong example to make that point and I regret that,” Gigi goes on to state – a remark that is now getting flak. “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,” she asserts.
The model reinstates that when speaking about democracy, no matter the crime, 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. It is well documented, by credible human rights organizations, that there has been systemic mistreatment of the Palestinian people by the government of Israel. I know these historical issues well because they are the history of my own family, Palestinians who were forced to flee their homeland in the late 1940s,” she adds.
At the same time, Gigi acknowledges that with the power of a platform comes a huge responsibility. “I'm human and I make mistakes, But I also hold myself accountable for those mistakes. I do not stand behind the spreading of misinformation, and have always condemned using the Free Palestine movement as justification for anti-Semitism. I owe it to myself and my followers to gather my thoughts and share them in a more constructive way as I pursue my goal of bringing attention to violations of international law and human rights,” she writes.
To conclude, Gigi states that she would continue to pray for the safe return of all hostages and peace and safety for the people of Gaza and Israel.
Gigi gets flak
Now, many Palestine supporters are accusing the model of deleting her rightful call-outs, simply because they don’t “appeal to her Zionist friends.”
“Every time Gigi Hadid posts a fact that does not appeal to her Zionist friends, she deletes it and apologizes. Stop spending more time condemning antisemitism than discussing Palestinian massacres,” an X user shared.
Every time Gigi Hadid posts a FACT that does not appeal to her Zionist friends, she deletes it and apologizes.
— Meryem🔻 (@hgmeryem) November 28, 2023
Stop spending more time condemning anti-semitism than discussing Palestinian massacres. pic.twitter.com/urBnCyEfUo
“Thou Gigi Hadid disgracefully caved to Zionist pressure and slandered Ahmad Manasra, I campaigned for Canada to pressure Israel to release him over the last year. In spring, I led a parliamentary press conference to #FreeAhmadManasra. In January, we held a birthday protest for him,” another wrote on X.
Thou Gigi Hadid disgracefully caved to Zionist pressure & slandered Ahmad Manasra, I campaigned for Canada to pressure Israel to release him over the last year. In spring, I led a parliamentary press conference to #FreeAhmadManasra. In January, we held a birthday protest for him. pic.twitter.com/oDvCsI1eag
— Ghada Sasa | غادة سعسع PhD(c) 🇵🇸 (@sasa_ghada) November 29, 2023
“Gigi Hadid is apologizing for using Ahmad Manasra as an example? Does she even know his story or the torture he’s had to endure since he was a child?” questioned a netizen. “I’m so sick of her, I don’t care if she’s Palestinian. This is a disgustingly huge betrayal of her people that won’t be forgiven,” they added.
Gigi Hadid is apologising for using Ahmad Manasra as an example??? Does she even know his story or the torture he’s had to endure since he was a child? I’m so sick of her, idc if she’s Palestinian. This is a disgustingly huge betrayal of her people that won’t be forgiven.
— 🧕🏼 (@ghazawiyah) November 28, 2023
A user responded, “She knows. She doesn’t actually care. She will save face every single time. Her and other Arab influencers saying he’s a ‘bad example’ not realizing they are the bad examples.”
She knows. She doesn’t actually care. She will save face every single time. Her and other Arab influencers saying he’s a “bad example” not realizing they are the bad examples.
— WildSumac (@wildsumac972) November 28, 2023
One more added, "Gigi Hadid just slandered Ahmad Manasra and expressed regret over sharing his story. I will never forgive you, Gigi, especially with all your influence and affluence, for how you harmed those most noble and oppressed in our community."
Gigi Hadid just slandered Ahmad Manasra & expressed regret over sharing his story. I will never forgive you, Gigi, especially with all your influence & affluence, for how you harmed those most noble & oppressed in our community. #FreeAhmadManasra #FreeThemAll pic.twitter.com/bnWYjSUO4K
— Ghada Sasa | غادة سعسع PhD(c) 🇵🇸 (@sasa_ghada) November 29, 2023
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