A German-Palestinian political activist on Wednesday criticized Adidas for using a retired Israeli soldier to promote its "single shoe" for amputees at a time when a large number of civilians in Gaza have lost limbs due to Israel's relentless attacks.
"First and foremost, this soldier is part of an army that is under investigation for crimes against humanity and suspected genocide. That's the first point to consider: if you're involved in war crimes, if you're pursuing cooperation in that context," Ramsis Kilani said in an exclusive interview with Anadolu in Berlin.
"On the other hand, it is a general strategy employed by the far-right Israeli government to legitimize and position itself and the state of Israel by entering into various sponsorship agreements and establishing ties with various cultural and sports-related events and initiatives," he added.
Kilani stressed that the controversial ad campaign by Adidas, which is a German brand, was also aimed at trying "to whitewash" Israeli crimes.
This is about "whitewashing a variety of crimes that Israel seeks to cover up, and attempting to improve its rightly poor reputation around the world among millions of people by participating in such advertising campaigns," he said.
"This must be rejected under any circumstances, and that is why this advertising campaign is being rejected. There are calls worldwide to treat the apartheid state of Israel the same way the apartheid state of South Africa was treated," the activist added.
Adidas is facing mounting boycott calls after selecting a former Israeli soldier who participated in attacks on the Gaza Strip and lost a leg while serving in the Israeli army to promote its "single-shoe service."
The selection of retired Israeli soldier Shalev Biton as the face of the campaign has intensified criticism of Adidas, raising questions about the company's global image and operations in major markets.
Following the backlash, Adidas said the campaign was developed by its local team in Israel and was not part of the company's global advertising strategy.
Adidas Arabia issued an apology, saying it was aware of the concerns caused by the campaign and was taking regional sensitivities seriously.
Pointing to Germany's close political and economic cooperation with Israel, especially in the military sector, Kilani said Berlin was an accomplice in the crimes committed by the Israeli state.
"Part of the truth, of course, is that Germany is also accused of aiding and abetting genocide, and one naturally becomes complicit in the crimes if one covers them up or supports them in various ways -- and that is exactly what is happening. I think this cannot be separated from Germany's overall cooperation with Israel," he said.
"Over 80% of the German population opposes military cooperation between Germany and Israel. So, this is the unequivocal stance of the majority of society here in Germany -- that people do not want this -- and Adidas is acting against the majority opinion in Germany. And that must be rejected." Kilani added.
He said calling for a boycott against Adidas was "entirely legitimate in order to prevent these crimes from occurring."
"I support the BDS campaign -- that is, the boycott campaign against Israel -- and the exertion of political pressure on German and other international companies that support the state of Israel, whitewash its actions, and are thus complicit in these crimes," Kilani said.
