Gigi Hadid has apologised after she shared an ‘un fact-checked’ post on about the .
At the weekend, the 28-year-old model, who is of Palestinian descent, posted ‘something’ she admits she did not ‘fact check’ or ‘deeply think about’ prior to sharing it with her 79 million followers, sparking backlash.
Now, she has apologised, writing a lengthy statement on her social media, which read: ‘As someone of Palestinian descent, the endless heartbreaking news and imagery coming out of has been painful and often overwhelming. It is important to me to share real stories about the hardships that Palestinians have endured and continue to endure, but this weekend I shared something that I did not fact check or deeply think about prior to reposting.
‘I wanted to show the ways in which international law is being undermined by the Israeli . In this case, I was trying to highlight how Palestinian children who are arrested by the EDF are often not given the same rights as an Israeli child accused of the same crime would. Unfortunately, I used the wrong example to make that point and I regret that.
‘My focus was intended to be on human rights issues. That is why I also want to reiterate that attacking any human, which of course included Jewish people, is NEVER OK. Taking innocent people hostage is NEVER OK. Harming someone BECAUSE they are Jewish is NEVER OK. It is wrong. To want freedom and humane treatment for Palestinians and to also want safety for Jewish people can both be important to the same person – including myself.
‘No matter the crime, when speaking about democracy, everyone should have the same rights – and a Palestinian child, even if he is accused of a horrific crime, deserves the same rights that an Israeli child would have under the same circumstance.
‘It is well documented, by credibly human rights organisations, that there has been systemic mistreatment of the Palestinian people by the government of Israel. I know these historical issues well because they are the history of my own family. Palestinians who were forced to flee their homeland in the late 1940s.
‘At the same time, I understand that with the power of my platform comes a huge responsibility. I’m human and I make mistakes. But I also hold myself accountable for those mistakes.
‘I do not stand behind the spreading of misinformation, and have always condemned using the Free Palestine movement as justification for anti-Semitism. I owe it to myself and my followers to gather my thoughts and share them in a more constructive way as I pursue my goal of brining attention to violations of international law and human rights.
‘Meanwhile,I will continue to pray for the sage return of all hostages and peace and safety for the people; of Gaza and Israel.’
