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Adidas apologizes for ad featuring Israeli soldier after backlash over ‘insult to Palestinians’

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Adidas Arabia apologized for a Hebrew-language advertisement featuring former Israeli soldier Shalev Biton, saying the images had caused concern and that the company did not intend to offend anyone.
  • The campaign prompted social-media backlash and boycott calls because Biton lost his leg while participating in an Israeli military attack on Gaza in 2021.
  • Activists and cultural figures criticized the advertisement amid claims that thousands of people in Gaza have undergone amputations during the war.

Adidas has apologized for a shoe advertisement featuring a former Israeli soldier who lost his leg during an attack on Gaza, after the campaign triggered accusations that it insulted Palestinians and calls for a boycott.

Adidas Arabia posted the apology on Instagram on the 7th, saying it recognized that images used in its recent campaign had caused concern. “There was no intention to offend, and we apologize to everyone affected,” the company said. It added that it acknowledged the concerns raised and took them seriously, while describing inclusion as one of Adidas’ core values.

There was no intention to offend, and we apologize to everyone affected.

· Adidas ArabiaThe company apologized for images used in its recent campaign.

The Hebrew-language advertisement, released earlier this month, featured Shalev Biton visiting an Adidas store in Israel and running outdoors wearing one shoe. The campaign promoted a policy offering customers with an amputated leg a single shoe for half the price of a pair. Al Jazeera reported that Biton lost his left leg while participating in an Israeli military attack on Gaza in May 2021, before the current Gaza war began.

This advertisement is not simply a matter of Adidas being insensitive. It is a complete insult to Palestinians who have lost loved ones and limbs because of Israel.

· Stephanie WestbrookThe activist criticized the advertisement in comments to Al Jazeera.

The advertisement drew anger on social media, where critics called it “an insult to Palestinians who lost their legs to the Israeli military.” Stephanie Westbrook, an activist with the Israeli Academic and Cultural Boycott Campaign, told Al Jazeera, “This advertisement is not simply a matter of Adidas being insensitive. It is a complete insult to Palestinians who have lost loved ones and limbs because of Israel.” She said the campaign helped normalize what she described as Israel’s crimes against Palestinians.

Spanish actor Javier Bardem shared an Al Jazeera video criticizing the advertisement, while Palestinian American writer Susan Abulhawa and Pakistani poet Fatima Bhutto also supported the boycott. The article cites World Health Organization estimates that as many as 6,000 people in Gaza underwent amputations between October 2023 and the October 2025 ceasefire, with children accounting for a quarter of amputation patients, according to the International Rescue Committee.

It makes Israel's crimes against Palestinians seem normal and allows the perpetrator to continue committing crimes without punishment.

· Stephanie WestbrookWestbrook described what she saw as the broader effect of the campaign.
About this summary

Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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