The debate over boundaries in Israel has been raging for generations, but such tensions have escalated exponentially in the aftermath of Hamas’ terrorist attack in October 2023.
Now, pro-Palestine activists around the world are openly promoting the concept of erasing Israel from the map — figuratively and literally.
Supermodel Bella Hadid recently caught flak for posing alongside a historical map of “Western Palestine” that did not include Israel.
When an Israeli calls the land Israel it’s ethnic cleansing and genocide, but when Bella Hadid holds a map and completely erases israel it’s called…..? pic.twitter.com/Vt68kQjvyF
— Moti Ankari (@MotiAnkari) February 17, 2025
One House Republican had a particularly terse assessment of Hadid’s motives, as the New York Post reported:
GOP Rep. Nancy Mace is blasting supermodel Bella Hadid as “disgusting” for sharing an old photo of herself promoting a map that portrays all of the land in Israel as Palestine.
The photo appears to have been taken during Hadid’s 2022 visit to the Qatar National Library, an event in which the 28-year-old nepo-baby cat-walker posed with the map, titled “Western Palestine.”
“Bella Hadid is a disgusting human being,” Mace, a staunch Israel supporter, (R-SC) sniped Sunday on X with a screenshot of the supermodel’s post.
ADVERTISEMENTIt’s unclear when Hadid posted the photo, which appeared to be featured in an Instagram story on her account that has since disappeared.
Of course, this wasn’t the model’s first display of Palestinian sympathies:
New favorite pic of Bella Hadid wearing a Palestine map necklace pic.twitter.com/7L21CcCWbW
— lux (@audreydiamonds) June 15, 2021
There are plenty of other celebrities eager to denigrate Israel and/or promote Palestine:
American singer Kehlani has expressed support for Palestine in their new music video, donning a keffiyeh inspired outfit and singing in front of a Palestinian flag. pic.twitter.com/IiGSaeECtQ
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) June 4, 2024
But Hadid and her sister made it to the top of this X list of Palestinian-supporting female stars:
🚨🇵🇸 Mega thread of female celebrities that deserve ALL of our support for standing up for Palestine!
1.) Gigi & Bella Hadid
(🧵1/24) pic.twitter.com/MVkhyjmP4f
— The Saviour (@stairwayto3dom) July 13, 2024
In October, even left-leaning comedian Bill Maher highlighted the perceived idiocy of Westerners — and women or so-called “marginalized” individual in particular — who rush to defend every move by the Hamas extemists who control Palestine.
As Deadline reported at the time:
“To mark the Oct. 7 anniversary, we must launch a campaign to educate young Americans about the Middle East,” said Maher. “And the way I’d like to begin that process is by addressing an open letter to Chappell Roan. Now, to those viewers who aren’t watching this while also looking at your phones, let me explain. … She’s actually a great new recording artist, who, like a Hezbollah pager, is really blowing up.”
Although Maher praised Roan for criticizing both sides of the political aisle, he chalked her perceived support of Palestine up to TikTok “propaganda.”
“Chappell, if you think it was repressive growing up queer in the Midwest, try the Mid East,” he mused. “You’re a female drag queen and you sing, ‘I f—ed you in the bathroom when we went to dinner, your parents at the table.’ Yeah, that wouldn’t fly in Gaza. Although you would, straight off a roof. The same goes for ‘knee deep in the passenger seat and you’re eating me out.’ Yea, my guess is the morality police would figure out that one’s not about the drive-thru and kill your feathered boa-wearing ass. You know when you sing that ‘LA is where boys and girls can all be queens every single day’? You’re welcome, but offer not good in the West Bank.
“Chappell, you’re not wrong that oppression is bad, or that Palestinian and many other Muslim populations are oppressed and deserve to be freed. You just have it completely ass-backwards as to who is doing the oppressing. Hamas is a terrorist mafia that took over Gaza … these are the oppressors. And when you make it all about Israel, you take the pressure off of them. You enable them,” said Maher.
Here’s a look at how celebrities have responded to the latest tensions between Israel and Palestine:
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