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Adidas Accused of ‘Embracing Jew-Hatred’ for Featuring Anti-Israel Model Bella Hadid in New Campaign Tied to Munich Massacre
The German sportswear company Adidas is facing backlash for choosing Bella Hadid to model its new take on sneakers used by athletes at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, where 11 Israeli participants were murdered by Palestinian terrorists.
Adidas announced on Monday the release of its iconic SL 72 sneaker, first released in 1972, in five new colorways ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. The campaign featured “titans from the world of sport and culture,” including Hadid, soccer player Jules Koundé, rapper A$AP Nast, musician Melissa Bon, and model Sabrina Lan. The running sneaker was originally designed for runners in the Munich Olympics, where 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were killed in a terrorist attack perpetrated by the Palestinian group Black September.
Hadid has a history of criticizing Israel and accusing the Jewish state of colonization, ethnic cleansing, occupation, and apartheid over the Palestinian people. She has claimed Israel perpetrates a “government system suppressing people,” posted on social media about alleged “Palestinian oppression” under Israel, and in 2021 participated in a pro-Palestinian rally where she chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” which has been widely interpreted as a call for the destruction of the Jewish state, which is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. Hadid has also falsely accused Israel of being a “Jewish supremacist” state and claimed “Jesus was Palestinian.”
Adidas was founded by brothers and Nazi party members Adolf and Rudolf Dassler in Germany in 1924.
Ynet, which accused Adidas of displaying “insensitivity” in its collaboration with Hadid, reported that the campaign will not appear in Israel. The campaign has already been criticized by the state of Israel’s official account on X/Twitter and also the watchdog group StopAntisemitism.org.
The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) demanded that Adidas apologize and drop Hadid from the campaign, calling her inclusion “an affront” to the memory of the Israelis murdered at the 1972 Olympic Games.
“For Adidas to choose Hadid, someone who is constantly baiting Jews and attacking the Jewish State, is bad enough, but to have her launch a shoe commemorating an Olympics when so much Jewish blood was shed is just sick,” CAM CEO Sacha Roytman Dratwa said in a statement. “We call on Adidas to apologize for this decision and drop Hadid immediately. Otherwise, it will be seen as a direct attack on the memory of the 11 Israelis who were murdered while merely trying to participate in the Olympic Games.”
He noted that the Israeli delegation heading to Paris for this year’s Olympic Games has already been threatened with violence, adding, “Thoughtless actions like this only embolden Israel haters and antisemites.”
Social media users also attacked the German brand for hiring Hadid to be the face of a campaign tied to the deadly Munich Olympics where Israelis were murdered, describing the decision as “simply unbelievable, hypocritical, and disgusting.” One user on X/Twitter, wrote: “Adidas just ruined their name and reputation with one disgusting decision.”
Adar Rubin, from the grassroots movement #EndJewHatred, said, “By partnering with Bella Hadid, a blatant Hamas defender, Adidas has officially shown that they learned nothing from the Kanye West fallout by once again embracing Jew-hatred.”
Rubin was referring to the creative partnership Adidas had with West, who made a series of antisemitic comments in 2022. The brand terminated its eight-year working relationship with the rapper and withdrew his Yeezy line of products because of his remarks. Adidas later began selling its remaining Yeezy inventory and promised to donate a “significant amount” of proceeds to groups that combat hate speech. However, Adidas Chief Executive Bjørn Gulde seemingly defended West last year, saying the rapper “didn’t mean what he said” and that he was not “a bad person – it just came across that way.”
Following widespread backlash, Gulden apologized for suggesting that West, who now legally goes by the name Ye, did not mean the antisemitic comments he made.
The post Adidas Accused of ‘Embracing Jew-Hatred’ for Featuring Anti-Israel Model Bella Hadid in New Campaign Tied to Munich Massacre first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Some Tankers Cross Strait of Hormuz Before Shots Fired, Ship-Tracking Data Shows
A satellite image shows the ship movement at the Strait of Hormuz on April 17, 2026, in Space. EUROPEAN UNION/COPERNICUS SENTINEL-2/Handout via REUTERS
More than a dozen tankers, including three sanctioned vessels, passed through the Strait of Hormuz after a 50-day blockade was lifted on Friday, shipping data showed, before Iran reimposed restrictions on Saturday and fired at some vessels.
Reopening the strait is key for Gulf producers to resume full oil and gas supplies to the world, and end what the International Energy Agency has called the worst-ever supply disruption.
US President Donald Trump said on Friday Iran had agreed to open the strait, while Iranian officials said they wanted the US to fully lift its blockade of Iranian tankers.
Western shipping companies cautiously welcomed the announcements but said more clarity was needed, including on the presence of sea mines, before their vessels could transit.
IRAN RESUMES RESTRICTIONS
The ships that passed through the strait on Friday and Saturday via Iranian waters south of Larak island were mainly older, non-Western-owned vessels and included four sanctioned ships, according to ship-tracking data.
Iran arranged passage for a limited number of oil tankers and commercial ships following prior agreements in negotiations, a spokesperson for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said.
Other ships have been seen approaching the strait and turning back as Iran said it would maintain strict controls as long as the US continues its blockade of Iranian ports.
The UK Navy reported on Saturday that Iranian gunboats fired at some ships attempting to cross the strait.
Some merchant vessels received radio messages from Iran’s navy saying the strait was shut again and that no ships were allowed to pass, shipping sources said on Saturday.
Ship-tracking data showed five vessels loaded with liquefied natural gas from Ras Laffan in Qatar approaching the strait on Saturday morning.
No LNG cargoes have transited the waterway since the US-Israeli war with Iran began on February 28.
Hundreds of ships have been stuck in the Gulf since the conflict started and Tehran closed the strait, forcing Gulf oil and gas producers to sharply cut production.
Top producers such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iraq and Kuwait say they need steady tanker flows and unrestricted passage through the strait to resume normal export operations.
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Trump Greenlights Russian Oil to Ease Strain on Global Markets After War with Iran
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington, DC, US, March 27, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
i24 News – The Trump administration has authorized a 30-day emergency waiver allowing the maritime purchase of Russian oil, reversing a hardline stance in an effort to stabilize skyrocketing global energy prices.
The Treasury Department announced Friday that the license for crude and petroleum products will remain in effect until May 16, 2026, responding to intense pressure from international partners struggling with the fallout of the war with Iran.
This policy pivot comes as a surprise after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested earlier this week that no further exemptions would be granted:
“As negotiations with Iran accelerate, the administration seeks to ensure oil availability for those who need it most. We must prevent a total price collapse for consumers while the geopolitical situation remains volatile.”
Ensuring global oil availability is paramount for the US as over 80 energy facilities in the Middle East have been damaged by recent war with Iran. With the November midterm elections approaching, record-high fuel prices at the pump remain a primary vulnerability for the Republican party. By allowing Russian oil back into the maritime flow, the administration hopes to neutralize “pain at the pump” before voters head to the polls.
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UK: Islamist Group Claims to Attack Israeli Embassy with ‘Drones Carrying Radioactive, Carcinogenic Materials’
A UK man has been arrested for allegedly threatening a group of Jews while wielding an ax on Rosh Hashanah. Photo: Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons.
i24 News – British police officers in protective clothing were seen investigating a “security incident” near the Israeli embassy in London on Friday, after a jihadist group put out a video showing it launching two drones allegedly carrying radioactive and carcinogenic materials toward the embassy.
“There is an increased police presence in Kensington Gardens and officers are assessing a number of discarded items. As a precaution, some of the officers who have been deployed are wearing protective clothing. We recognize this may concern local residents and the wider public,” police said in a statement.
“Counter Terrorism Policing London are aware of a video shared online overnight in which a group claims to have targeted the nearby embassy of Israel with drones carrying dangerous substances,” the statement further read. “While we can confirm that the embassy has not been attacked, we are carrying out urgent inquiries to determine the authenticity of the video and to identify any potential link between it and the items discarded in Kensington Gardens.”
The incident comes amid a steep hike in antisemitic attacks in Britain targeting Jewish and Israeli individuals and institutions.
The group that released the video was identified as Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, a shadowy entity with suspected ties to Iran. It has already claimed seven attacks against Jewish institutions, including an arson attack in London where four ambulances owned by the Hatzolah charity were torched.