Israel’s official Twitter account accused Palestinian-Dutch model Bella Hadid of advocating for “throwing Jews into the sea” during the May 15 Nakba Day protests.
Hadid had posted a livestream on her Instagram of herself joining chants of “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Hey Bella Hadid, when you say “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” you’re demanding for the land of from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea to be free OF JEWS.
It’s not a call for justice, it’s a call for (an actual) ethnic cleansing. pic.twitter.com/YFpX3qdoqc
— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) May 16, 2021
The Israel Twitter account, which is run by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote: “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.”
In a follow up a tweet, the Twitter account argued that the “from the river to the sea” refrain is “used by those who call for the elimination of Israel (from the river to the sea….).”
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 pic.twitter.com/PJQHT90cNy
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) May 16, 2021
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….)
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) May 17, 2021
Julie Lenarz, Director of Social Media at the American Jewish Committee, similarly tweeted, “She’s calling for the total annihilation of the Jewish state in front of millions of social media followers. Think about it.”
"From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,“ says Bella Hadid.
Let’s be clear what that means. She’s calling for the total annihilation of the Jewish state in front of millions of social media followers.
Think about it.
— Julie Lenarz (@MsJulieLenarz) May 17, 2021
StandWithUs Israel Executive Director Michael Dickson also tweeted, “Bella Hadid has over double as many followers as the entire Jewish population of the world. She and many ‘influencers’ are using their platforms to perpetuate lies and to divide, rather than to bring people together. It isn’t just reckless, it incites violence and is deadly.”
Bella Hadid has over double as many followers as the entire Jewish population of the world.
She and many "influencers" are using their platforms to perpetuate lies and to divide, rather than to bring people together. It isn't just reckless, it incites violence and is deadly.
— Michael Dickson (@michaeldickson) May 18, 2021
Hadid had previously come under fire for posting an image in a since-deleted Instagram post accusing Israel of colonizing the Palestinians as well as committing “ethnic cleansing” and “apartheid.”
Noa Tishby, an Israeli actress and author, accused Hadid of citing “Hamas talking points” to her 41.7 million Instagram followers. “Jews are indigenous to the land of Israel,” Tishby told Fox News. “Israel is not a colonialist state. Hamas is a genocidal lunatic terrorist organization… and the people on social media are being used by nefarious forces into becoming useful idiots by reciting Hamas talking points.”
Hadid’s older sister, Gigi Hadid, has also been criticized for her pro-Palestinian social media posts. Gigi claimed in an Instagram post that she denounces antisemitism and that she doesn’t “wish any more deaths upon Israelis, just as I feel about Palestinians. What I do want is equal rights for Palestinians.”
The headline of this article has been updated.
