Hadid Takes a Stand: SupermodelUses Her Platform to Support Palestine
Supermodel and social media star Gigi Hadid continues to leverage her immense popularity and following to voice support for Palestine, taking to Instagram to condemn Israel’s treatment of Palestinian children.
In a series of passionate posts to her nearly 80 million followers, the 28-year-old fashion icon put Israel on blast over the country’s detention of Palestinian minors, resharing a post claiming Israel authorities detain 500-700 Palestinian children annually. Her posts alleged these child prisoners face beatings, strip searches, late-night arrests, and solitary confinement.
Hadid called out Israel as “the ONLY country in the world that systematically prosecutes minors in military courts and accepts confessions obtained by coercion,” telling followers that Israel labels “any Palestinian as a ‘terrorist,’ any person supporting Palestinian rights as ‘antisemite,’ and any Jew that is opposed to the government’s actions as ‘self-hating.’”
The supermodel’s posts referenced the recently-announced prisoner exchange deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas involving Ahmed Manasra, a Palestinian teen detained in 2015 for stabbing two Israeli citizens. Diagnosed with schizophrenia and depression, Manasra’s case has become a rallying cry for advocates decrying Israel’s treatment of Palestinian child prisoners.
Hadid joins her sister, fellow model Bella Hadid, in leveraging her platform and fame to speak out on the Palestine-Israel conflict. The Hadid sisters’ father, luxury real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, is Palestinian, with Bella claiming the family has received hundreds of death threats for their advocacy.
But the threats have not deterred the fashion icon from using her voice. “Fear is not an option,” declares Hadid. “The people and children of Palestine, especially in Gaza, cannot afford our silence. We are not brave – they are.”
Through her global megaphone, Hadid makes clear that she will not stay silent, but will keep pressure on leaders worldwide to address the urgent needs of Palestinians impacted by the conflict. And with her 79 million followers, the power of her voice cannot be ignored.
