International sportswear retailer Reebok has released a special edition shoe "in honor of Israel's 68th Independence Day celebrations, as the Jerusalem Post reports.
The shoe, a white and blue sneaker emblazoned with "Israel 68" on the heel, will be auctioned as a collector's item on Reebok's Facebook page, with the proceeds going toward the group Crossfit Without Borders.
At a time when other international retailers are coming under scrutiny for conducting business in Israel or on settlements in the occupied territories, Reebok, which is owned by Adidas Group in Germany, is, as Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada writes, "helping to whitewash the historic and ongoing dispossession of the Palestinian people."
Palestinians recognize 1947 and 1948, the year the state of Israel was established, as the Nakba, or catastrophe, when some 750,000 Palestinians were forced from their homes. The Israeli government penalizes institutions that recognize the Nakba.
But it's not the first time Adidas has engaged in such "whitewashing": in 2012, the Palestinian BDS National Committee called for a boycott on the brand over its sponsorship of the Jerusalem Marathon.
It is also worth noting that last year, Egyptian business tycoon Nassef Sawiri became the largest investor in Adidas Group, raising his stake in the retailer to about six percent. Sawiri remains Egypt's wealthiest person, with an estimated net worth of $6.7 billion.
