Bella Hadid has taken aim at Instagram after the social media platform allegedly removed a post she shared that featured her father's passport, which noted his birth place was Palestine. On her Instagram Story, she initially shared the photo of her father Mohammed Hadid's passport, with a caption on the side that read, "I am proud to be Palestinian." Shortly after, she received a message that informed her that the post went against Instagram's community guidelines on "harassment or bullying."
Alongside a screenshot that informed her that the Instagram Story was removed, Hadid wrote, "Instagram removed my story that only said 'My baba and his birthplace of Palestine' with a photograph of his American passport." While his passport is American, the photo identified him as a Palestinian. "Instagram exactly what part of me being proud of my father's birthplace of Palestine is 'bullying, harassment, graphic, or sexual nudity?'" Hadid asked.
She also asked the platform whether she was "not allowed to be Palestinian on Instagram," which she said itself was bullying. "You can't erase history by silencing people," she added. In a follow-up post, she shared the same photo again with a pensive emoji. "Do you want him to change his birthplace for you?" she asked.
As of right now, the photo of his passport remains on her Instagram Story. See her message to Instagram above.
The controvesy comes as Israeli officials escalate plans to annex a third of Palestine's West Bank. The government announced its decision to occupy additional Palestenian territory earlier this year, setting a July 1 date as the beginning of such operations. For Palestinians and their allies, and likely the Hadid family, the announcement served to formalize the continued oppression and violence against Palestenians by the state of Israel.
