CELEBRITY

Dua Lipa Speaks Out Against Allegations of Her and the Hadid Sisters Being Anti-Semitic

25-year-old singer and songwriter, Dua Lipa, slammed a New York Times ad that accused her, as well as models Bella and Gigi Hadid, of being anti-semitic. The ad was created in response to their support for Palestinians in the Israeli conflict.
Markus Pritzi / Warner Records

25-year-old singer and songwriter, Dua Lipa, slammed a New York Times ad, that accused her, as well as models Bella and Gigi Hadid, of being anti-semitic. The ad was created in response to their support for Palestinians in the Israeli conflict.

Per The Cut, The New York Times recently ran a full-page ad from Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. It accused Dua Lipa, Bella Hadid, and Gigi Hadid of “ignorance” and “anti-Semitism” because of their pro-Palestine posts on social media, regarding the increased tensions between Israelis and Palestinians and the violence in Gaza. The advertisement called for them to “Condemn (Hamas) now.”

Dua Lipa put out a statement on Twitter to “reject the false and appalling allegations” in the ad. The singer wrote, “This is the price you pay for defending Palestinian human rights against an Israeli government whose actions in Palestine both Human Rights Watch and the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem accuse of persecution and discrimination.” She stated her belief that “Everyone — Jews, Muslims, and Christians — have the right to live in peace as equal citizens of a state they choose.” In closing, she declared, “I stand in solidarity with all oppressed people and reject all forms of racism.”

The Hadids, whose father is Palestinian, have not yet responded to the ad, but have made many statements in support of the Palestinian movement. Gigi Hadid wrote on Instagram, “One cannot advocate for racial equality, LGBT and women’s rights, condemn corrupt and abusive regimes yet choose to ignore the Palestinian oppression.”

Gigi Hadid shared a picture of herself at a Free Palestine protest in Brooklyn. The model wrote on Instagram, “I have been told my entire life that who I am : a Palestinian woman – is not real. I’ve been told my father does not have a birth place if he is from Palestine. And I am here to say . Palestine is very much real and the Palestinian people are here to stay and coexist. As they always have.”

Fans of Dua Lipa and the Hadids showed their support on Twitter.

For resources on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Visit the Jewish Voice for Peace website.