Bella Hadid: "I Stand with Palestine"

On Wednesday, President Trump shocked the world when he announced that the United States will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and move our embassy there, marking a massive shift in the global conversation surrounding the feud between Israel and Palestine, both of which lay claim to the city as a capital. No other country in the world has an embassy in Jerusalem. 

While the decade-spanning conflict is a complex one that should by no means be understood simply, the BBC breaks it down well: "Israel has always regarded Jerusalem as its capital, while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem - occupied by Israel in the 1967 war - as the capital of a future Palestinian state." The U.S. is now the first country in history to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital since the state was founded in 1948. Trump's decision to jeopardize the prospect of a two-state solution has been condemned by the Pope, the UN, European Union, and the goverments of the UK, France, and Germany. Since the declaration, riots on the occupied West Bank have escalated, with an estimated 31 people injured as a direct result. 

Many have taken to social media to voice their concern — including the likes of Bella Hadid, who has been vocal in the past about her Muslim heritage and disapproval of Trump. “Watching the news and seeing the pain of the Palestinian people makes me cry for the many many generations of Palestine,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “The TREATMENT of the Palestinian people is unfair, one-sided and should not be tolerated. I stand with Palestine.”

Bella's father, Mohamed, took a more direct approach with his post: “Now Mr president Trump with a simple signature gave with no return Our beloved holy land Jerusalem to the Israelis as their capital ... this is not a real estate deal [sic].”

Read Bella's full statement below.