IOF veteran Biton in the Adidas advertising campaign
Outrage erupts over Adidas ad featuring ‘Israeli’ soldier
Note: AI technology was used to generate this article’s audio.
- The ex-soldier is part of Adidas’ advertising campaign for its new single-shoe policy aimed at people living with amputations.
Global sportswear brand Adidas has sparked widespread outrage after selecting Shalev Biton, an 'Israeli' ex-soldier who lost a leg during the 2021 aggression on Gaza, as part of its newly launched "Single-Shoe Service" in the 'Israeli' market.
The commercial campaign, which Adidas launched locally across stores in 'Israel', features Biton promoting a program that allows individuals with lower-limb amputations to purchase a single shoe at 50 percent of the pair price.
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However, rights advocates and pro-Palestinian organizations have criticizeded the German multinational for using an 'Israeli' soldier involved in the military siege and bombardment of Gaza to project a image of corporate "inclusivity" and "social responsibility".
A social media user commented, “are you doing the same for Palestinians who lost limbs?”, while another commenter wrote “Maybe adidas should give the other shoe to the children of gaza, the highest amputee numbers in the world due to Israel's terror attacks.”
This backlash is not new for Adidas. In mid-2024, the German brand faced international condemnation after caving to pressure from the 'Israeli' government and pro-'Israel' lobby groups to drop Palestinian-American supermodel Bella Hadid from its retro SL72 sneaker campaign.
Read more: ‘Israeli’ soldiers pose for photos after demolishing Palestinian home
