Gigi Hadid Expresses ‘Regret’ For Controversial Posts Slamming Israel: ‘I Shared Something That I Did Not Fact Check’
mpiRW/MediaPunch /IPX via AP
Supermodel Gigi Hadid released a statement on Tuesday expressing “regret” over some of her recent Instagram stories regarding the Israel-Hamas war that included what she called “the wrong example” to make her point.
Hadid came under fire in recent days after posting that Israel was “the only country in the world that keeps children as prisoners of war.” Hadid later deleted the post which also declared accused Israel of “abduction, rape, humiliation, torture, murder of Palestinians years and years before Oct. 7, 2023.”
She went on to claim that Israel had “abducted” a Palestinian named Ahmed Mansara at the age of 12, who has since “endured solitary confinement despite his severe health condition.” A quick fact check from The New York Post showed that Mansara was actually arrested at age 13 after he and his cousin stabbed several people in during a rampage in 2015. Mansara and his older cousin can be seen on surveillance footage stabbing a security guard and another 13-year-old boy – both of whom suffered critical injuries. Mansara was later convicted of attempted murder and has been appealed to the Supreme Court.
Hadid also shared a clip on Instagram in recent days from another social media influencer, Umme Murtaza, who urged followers to “watch this disturbing video, where health officials admitted that Israeli authorities had harvested the organs of dead Palestinians for years without their consent.” Hadid was quickly slammed by anti-Semitism watch groups for spreading conspiracy-mongering “blood libel” tropes.
“As someone of Palestinian descent, the endless heartbreaking news and imagery coming out of Gaza has been painful and often overwhelming. 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,” Hadid wrote on Instagram addressing the controversy.
“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 continued, presumably referring to Mansara.
“My focus was intended to be on human rights issues,” she continued, adding:
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.
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.
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.
At the same time, I understand that with the power of my 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.
Meanwhile, I will continue to pray for the safe return of all hostages and peace and safety for the people of Gaza and Israel.
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