Adidas Faces Boycott Over Israeli Soldier Amputee Campaign
Key Points
- Adidas featured former Israeli soldier Shalev Biton, who lost his leg in 2021 Israel-Gaza conflict, in advertising for single-shoe service.
- Between 5,000 and 6,000 Palestinians in Gaza underwent amputations as of early October 2025, according to World Health Organization estimates.
- Boycott campaigns coordinator Stephanie Westbrook called the campaign "an absolute affront to Palestinians" who lost limbs in Israeli attacks.
Westbrook emphasized that the campaign would "normalise Israel's crimes against Palestinians and allow it to continue to commit them with impunity." She noted that Biton's identity was "centred around his being a soldier" who served in "an army of a state that is currently committing genocide." Spanish actor Javier Bardem, a vocal pro-Palestine activist, shared images and videos highlighting the boycott campaign on social media, joining U.S.-Palestinian author Susan Abulhawa and Pakistani author Fatima Bhutto in calling for a boycott of Adidas products.
More than 1,000 Palestinian athletes were killed during Israel's war on Gaza, with hundreds of aspiring footballers losing their limbs and forming amputee football teams as a means of finding respite and reclaiming fragments of their former lives. Westbrook highlighted that Israel's blockade on Gaza prevented medicines and prosthetics from entering the enclave following Israeli destruction of medical facilities. She stated that Israel had "decimated the health sector" and that its "medieval siege is preventing prosthetics from even entering Gaza, creating this man-made shortage."
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The boycott campaign targeting Adidas joins a pattern of international pressure on multinational corporations over their perceived alignment with Israeli military personnel and policies. The immediate online response from human rights campaigners and pro-Palestine activists underscores how consumer-facing brands face heightened scrutiny when featuring military figures in campaigns involving disabilities or injuries tied to ongoing conflicts.
What Happens Next
Adidas will likely issue a statement addressing the campaign within days, either defending the initiative or announcing a withdrawal. The boycott campaign may gain traction among pro-Palestine activist networks and younger consumers, potentially affecting brand perception in regions with strong BDS support. The company faces pressure to clarify whether it will continue featuring military personnel in future campaigns, particularly in conflict-adjacent contexts.
Sources: Al Jazeera and other international news outlets.
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