Israel accuses Bella Hadid of advocating 'throwing Jews into the sea' during pro-Palestinian march


Bella Hadid

The official Twitter account for the state of Israel posted an image of Bella Hadid at a pro-Palestinian march in New York on Sunday and accused the supermodel of advocating "throwing Jews into the sea."

Hadid, whose father is Palestinian, joined the pro-Palestinian march as the worst period of violence in Gaza and Israel since 2014 continued. Since Monday, Israel has launched more than 1,000 air and artillery strikes into Gaza killing at least 188 Palestinians, including 55 children, Associated Press reports. Israeli forces have reported 10 dead and said militants groups have fired more than 2,900 rockets into Israel during the same period, of which roughly a third have been intercepted by air defenses, The Guardian reports.

Over the weekend, an Israeli airstrike destroyed a media building in Gaza that housed several international news organizations, including AP and Al Jazeera.

On Sunday, Hadid live-streamed part of the protest on her Instagram account, and Israel's official Twitter account posted a screenshot of part of Hadid's live stream with the caption: "When celebrities like @BellaHadid advocate for throwing Jews into the sea, they are advocating for the elimination of the Jewish State. This shouldn't be an Israeli-Palestinian issue. This should be a human issue. Shame on you. #IsraelUnderAttack."

No footage posted to social media shows Hadid calling for any harm to Jewish people. But the official Israel Twitter account noted that it was referencing videos of the supermodel chanting the decades-old slogan: "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."

Hadid can be seen saying the chant here.

The slogan has been used by Palestinian activists across the world, and it refers to the River Jordan and the Mediterranean sea, which both mark the geographic and political boundaries of the state of Israel.

Palestinian organizers have long argued that the phrase is a chant in support of the human rights and self-determination of Palestinian people living within those borders. Israel and its supporters have labeled the chant as anti-Semitic, interpreting it as a call for the abolition of the state of Israel.

The official Israel Twitter account made a similar interpretation under its screenshot of Hadid's Instagram.

"For those of you who don't know, "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," is a phrase used by those who call for the elimination of Israel (from the river to the sea....)," the account tweeted.

The official Israel Twitter account is managed by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs' digital diplomacy team. Insider has reached out to both Hadid and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs for further comment.

Hadid has been outspoken about her support of Palestine on social media. She and her sister Gigi Hadid have both shared several infographics and personal statements on their Instagram accounts.

"I love my family, I love my Heritage, I love Palestine. I will stand strong to keep their hope for a better land in my heart," she said in one Instagram post about her family heritage.

Last week, the model shared a series of infographics and pictures created by a pro-Palestinian account, Key48Return, which she later deleted after it was noted that the post included an antisemitic cartoon.

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