Gigi Hadid’s father calls black politician ‘sewer rat’ over Israel support
The father of supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid has accused a black politician of being a “slave to whites” over his support for Israel.
Mohamed Hadid, an American and Palestinian real estate developer, targeted Ritchie Torres, a New York congressman, and compared him to a “sewer rat”.
The son of Puerto Rican parents, Mr Torres, 36, is a gay member of the US House of Representatives, where he has been a strong pro-Israel advocate.
In his rant, Mr Hadid, 76, also made disparaging references about the Democrat’s sexuality.
“You worse than the rats of New York sewage system,” Mr Hadid wrote to Mr Torres in direct Instagram messages reported by the New York Post.
“They have bigger brains than you. You might get a job as bouncer at gay bar. Make sure you dress as KKK to hide that ugly grey-coloured face of yours.
Another message read: “You are just unusual black and colourful mouth for Israeli and AIPAC (pro-Israel lobbying group) and looking for payday of over 500K.”
Mr Torres, who has represented the Bronx in Congress since 2021, retorted: “For the thought crime of supporting Israel in the wake of Oct 7, I have been the target of racist rhetoric from Mohamed Hadid.
“If you have the audacity to be a person of colour and pro-Israel, you become fair game for racist hate and harassment.”
Mr Hadid later released a qualified apology. “I need to apologise,” he said. “Not for the anger I feel but for the words I used to express that anger. I intended to express how Mr Torres is a shill being used by Israel.”
In response, Mr Torries told the New York Post: “The so-called apology is as fraudulent as the man himself. Mr Hadid has been unmasked as a rabid racist to the core.”
Born in Nazareth and college-educated in the US, Mr Hadid is a wealthy Los Angeles-based property developer and a vocal supporter of Palestinian rights.
Two of his daughters, Gigi and Bella, from his marriage to Dutch model Yolanda Hadid, have achieved worldwide fame as models.
‘The new Hitler of modern times’
A few days after the Oct 7 attack on Israel, Mr Hadid referred to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “the new Hitler of modern times”.
Two months earlier, Bella Hadid was involved in an online spat with Israeli cabinet minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
In an interview arguing for increased security measures in the West Bank, Mr Ben-Gvir had suggested his family’s “right to travel on the roads” was “more important than the right to movement for Arabs”.
Ms Hadid, 27, directly criticised his comment on Instagram, where she has close to 60 million followers.
“In no place, no time, especially in 2023 should one life be more valuable than another,” she wrote. “Especially simply because of their ethnicity, culture or pure hatred.”
