Vogue erases ‘Palestine’ from supermodel’s anti-war post

Vogue magazine has edited out a line about Palestine from an article about an Instagram post by supermodel Gigi Hadid, in which she announced support for both the Ukrainian and Palestinian causes.

Supermodel Gigi Hadid, who, along with her sister Bella Hadid, are known for being vocal supporters of Palestine, recently announced on Instagram that she would be donating her earnings from Fashion Month to Ukrainian and Palestinian causes, stating: “I am pledging to donate my earnings from the Fall 2022 shows to aid those suffering from the war in Ukraine, as well as continuing to support those experiencing the same in Palestine.”

When Vogue magazine first picked up the story and posted an article about the supermodel’s statement, they included a direct quote of her caption in full, where the model drew comparisons between Ukrainians and Palestinians. But as the article was being promoted on Instagram, some users started posting comments accusing Vogue of “fanning the flames of anti-Semitism” and giving a platform for Hadid’s “highly offensive” views.

After just one day, Vogue edited the Instagram post caption as well as the original article to omit mentions of Palestine from Hadid’s initial statement, specifically dropping the last line of her post which read “HANDS OFF UKRAINE. HANDS OFF PALESTINE. PEACE. PEACE. PEACE.”

Vogue has not given an official reason for the edit, but most users have assumed that it was in direct response to the mounting pressure that is generally applied to anyone supporting the ‘wrong side’ of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

Several actors, such as Mark Ruffalo and Emma Watson, who have spoken out in support of Palestinians, have recently been forced to apologize for their views or have faced accusations of anti-Semitism. The New York Times even featured an ad urging readers to condemn the likes of the Hadid sisters and Dua Lipa for their allegedly anti-Israel stance, while an entire website has been set up to doxx anyone who openly expresses support for the Palestinian side of the conflict.