Gigi Hadid recently expressed regret and issued an apology for a post she shared on Instagram, admitting to not having fact-checked the content before posting it. The 28-year-old model, whose father hails from Palestine, sought to clarify her intentions after making a statement regarding Israel's treatment of children.
According to reports from Mirror.co.uk, Hadid aimed to highlight the disparity in rights between Palestinian and Israeli children accused of similar crimes. However, her reference to Ahmad Manasra's case, who was arrested at 13 for the stabbing of two Israeli citizens in an illegal Israeli settlement in occupied East Jerusalem in 2015, led to a wave of backlash.
Manasra, now 21, has remained in prison since his arrest and has encountered severe mental health issues, as reported by Amnesty. Facing criticism for her post and the subsequent uproar, Gigi Hadid acknowledged her lack of thorough consideration before reposting the content, expressing remorse for the oversight.
In her Instagram statement, as cited by Mirror.co.uk, Hadid clarified, "As someone with Palestinian roots, the distressing news and imagery emerging from Gaza have deeply affected me. I've aimed to shed light on the enduring hardships faced by Palestinians. However, in my recent post, I did not thoroughly fact-check or consider the repercussions before sharing."
She further elaborated, "My intention was to spotlight the undermining of international law by the Israeli government, particularly focusing on the unequal treatment of Palestinian children versus Israeli children in similar situations. Regrettably, I chose an inappropriate example to make that point, and for that, I am genuinely sorry."
Emphasizing her advocacy for human rights, she reaffirmed her stance against attacks on any individual, including the Jewish community, stating, "It's crucial to clarify that targeting any human being, including Jewish individuals, is never acceptable. Holding innocent individuals captive is unjustifiable. Inflicting harm on someone solely based on their Jewish identity is unequivocally wrong."
She concluded her message to her 79.1 million followers by asserting, "One can advocate for Palestinian freedom and humane treatment while simultaneously seeking safety for Jewish people. These concerns are not mutually exclusive and can coexist within the same individual – myself included."
(With Agency Inputs)
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