Zara has a history of propping up pro-Israel voices.
In June 2021, Zara’s head designer Vanessa Perilman was exposed for sending racist and anti-Palestinian messages on Instagram to model Qaher Harhash, who is from occupied East Jerusalem. The remarks she made included:
“The people in my industry know the truth about Israel and Palestine and I will NEVER stop defending Israel… Maybe if your people were educated then they wouldn’t blow up the hospitals and schools that Israel helped to pay for in Gaza.”
And:
“Also I think it’s funny that you’re a model because in reality that is against what the Muslim faith believes in and if you were to come out of the closet in any Muslim country you would be stoned to death.”
In October 2022, Joey Schwebel, chairman of Israel's Zara franchise Trimera Brands, hosted Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, at his home for an election campaign event.
In December 2023, shortly after Israel began its genocide against Gaza, Zara launched an ad which closely resembled the images of enshrouded bodies coming out of Gaza, including those of children. In response to widespread backlash, Zara pulled the ad shortly after launch but has not taken responsibility for the choice of ‘tone-deaf’ imagery.
