Bella Hadid’s Controversial Support for Hamas

In a recent controversy, Palestinian-American supermodel Bella Hadid faced backlash for praising Hamas on social media for allegedly giving birthday cakes to Israeli hostages, a gesture critics deemed cynical given the severe malnutrition of the prisoners. This incident sparked the term “cakewashing” among pro-Israeli social media users, highlighting the incongruity of celebrating terrorists’ actions with cake.
Simultaneously, a Sydney-based bakery ignited outrage by baking Hamas-themed cakes for a child’s birthday and sharing the images online. This led to an Australian Federal Police investigation, contrasting a similar case in New Jersey where a kosher bakery faced criticism for making an IDF-decorated cake but without legal repercussions.
The article also references a 2008 incident where a New Jersey couple named their child Adolf Hitler and faced public and legal consequences after a supermarket refused to decorate a birthday cake with the child’s name. The broader discussion questions the limits of free speech and the ethical responsibilities of businesses in these sensitive situations.