Adidas' choice of an Israeli soldier as its advertising face increased calls for boycott

Choosing Shalev Biton, retired from the Israeli army, who caused thousands of Palestinians to lose their limbs in the Gaza Strip, as the advertising face for the "single shoe service", increased the reactions against the brand and calls for boycott.

US social media phenomenon Guy Christensen, in his post on the social media account of US-based company X, said, "It is truly disgusting to know that children in Gaza may never walk again." He called for a boycott against the company using his statement.

Stephanie Westbrook, coordinator of the "Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel" (PACBI), which is part of the "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions for Palestinians" (BDS) movement, also called Adidas' campaign "an insult to Palestinians."

Pointing out that according to the estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 5 thousand Palestinians have lost limbs since October 2023, Westbrook said, "This is not just Adidas' insensitivity or sensitivity. It is an absolute insult to the Palestinians who were killed by Israel, lost their loved ones, or lost their limbs because of Israel." made his assessment.

“When brands choose criminals, people choose resistance.”

Italian activist Vincenzo Fullone also shared a post about the commercial on his social media account.

Sharing the video of the moments when Adidas brand shoes were thrown into the trash, Fullone said, "When brands choose criminals, people choose resistance." He made a statement and called for a boycott.

Spanish actor Javier Bardem also shared the video shot by Fullone on his social media account and asked for a boycott of Adidas.

Prof. from the University of Arizona School of Law. Dr. Khaled Beydoun was also among those who reacted to Adidas' commercial.

Sharing the image of the amputated child in Gaza and the photo of the Israeli soldier starring in Adidas' commercial, Beydoun said, "Adidas launched the single shoe program that highlights the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier, but continues to ignore the children whose legs have been amputated in Gaza." he said.

"It completely ignores the tragedy of Palestinian victims."

There were also many reactions to the joint post on the Instagram accounts of Shalev Biton and Israel's Channel 12 about Biton being the face of the advertisement.

There were many reactions against Adidas and Israel in the comments saying "Free Palestine", "Justice for Palestine", "Do not ignore the pain of Palestinians" and "Boycott Adidas".

There were many reactions to the advertisement under the different posts made by Adidas on its X account. The posts included many comments such as "I will never buy another product", "I will never buy your products again", "Adidas should not support child murderers", "You are sponsoring a war criminal" and "I am boycotting Adidas for supporting Israel's genocide".

In the social media post about the Adidas advertisement by "Eye on Palestine", it was stated that Israeli soldier Shalev Biton, with whom the brand introduced the "single shoe" service for amputees, lost one of his feet during the attacks on Gaza in 2021.

The post pointed out that this ad received a reaction and said, "(The ad) draws attention to a member of the occupation army responsible for amputating the most children in the world, and completely ignores the tragedy of Palestinian victims who lost their limbs due to the ongoing attacks." The expression was used.

Many comments on the post called for a boycott of Adidas due to its advertising choice.

"Teach Adidas the cost of supporting genocide"

European Parliament (EP) member Rima Hassan, in her post about Adidas' advertisement on the US-based social media platform Instagram account, pointed out that the highest amputation rate of children in the world is in Gaza. Many boycott calls were made under this post.

American writer and human rights advocate Susan Abulhawa, in her post on her he called.

German policy of "exemption" towards Israel

Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University Islamic World and Global Relations Application and Research Center Director Prof. Dr. Sami Al Arian, in his statement to AA correspondent, said that the Germany-based company followed "German policy" and applied "exemption" towards Israel.

Arian said, "The company does not learn from what happened. This is a Zionist attitude. The only sanction that the company can learn from here is boycott. It should be supported and promoted by everyone." he said.

Adidas removed Palestinian-American model Hadid from its advertisement

The company was the target of boycott calls in 2024 after it removed the famous model Bella Hadid, known for her support for Palestine, from its advertising campaign.

In the post, Hadid was accused of "anti-Semitism" and claimed to be a caller for violence.

The company's spokesperson apologized, arguing that Hadid's appearance in the advertisement for the shoes used in the 1972 Munich Olympics caused "sadness and distress". The spokesman claimed that there was a connection with "tragic historical events" due to the shoe advertisement.

Why is it being boycotted?

The choice of the Israeli military Biton as the advertising face for the "single shoe service" increased the reactions against the brand and calls for boycott.

According to the statements on the BDS movement's social media accounts, Adidas, which chose the Israeli soldier as its advertising face, had been the sponsor of the Israel Football Federation (IFA) for many years.

Adidas, which signed a global underwear licensing agreement with Israel-based textile company Delta Galil in 2019, maintains current commercial partnerships with Israel-based sports clubs such as Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The company, which has an official website and social media accounts specific to the Israeli market, operates many official stores in major cities such as Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa.

The company has also undertaken sponsorships in some sporting events, including the Tel Aviv Marathon.

According to the statement on the Adidas Foundation's website, the institution, defined as "an independent organization with a strong relationship with the founding company", provided a grant agreement of 700 thousand euros for the period 2025-2028 to the "Peres Center for Peace and Innovation", based in Jaffa and founded by Israeli President Shimon Peres in 2007-2014.

The company, which describes itself as "neutral", offers customers who have lost a single limb the opportunity to buy the single shoe they need for 50 percent of the price of a pair of shoes.