Internationally known Palestinian singer Saint Levant was captured wearing a pendant featuring the outline of the map of historic Palestine in a video for luxury fashion house Prada — a move that has drawn the anger of Israelis .
Prada announced that it chose Saint Levant, born Marwan Abdelhamid, as its newly appointed ambassador earlier this week, coinciding with the debut of the brand’s Spring/Summer 2027 Menswear Fashion Show in Milan, Italy, where the singer was seated in the front row.
His necklace outlines the borders of the region before the 1948 Nakba — the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homeland by Zionist militias — and the subsequent creation of Israel.
"I think it’s definitely significant for Prada to celebrate Palestinian heritage, national identity and the homeland beloved to those in the diaspora by featuring the map around Saint Levant’s neck. These fashion decisions do not happen by accident, every aspect of the look is curated with close attention to detail," Ruqaiya Haris, freelance writer and content creator, told The New Arab. "I think that for anyone who is staunchly pro-Israel, celebration of Palestine as a homeland for Palestinians feels like a threat to their own nationalism and identity. But clearly Prada knew this could spark a backlash, and went ahead with the campaign unapologetically. It also isn’t lost on me that Prada is one of the few major fashion brands not appearing on BDS boycott lists for investing in Israeli weapons or surveillance tech, to my knowledge," Haris continued.
The partnership makes the singer Prada’s first Palestine-born ambassador, something which has been praised widely online by fans of music and fashion across the Middle East and Beyond.
On Thursday, Prada's official social media accounts announced the partnership with Saint Levant in a series of photos and videos, where the singer was seen wearing an all-black suit, with the Palestine map pendant clearly visible. Boycott calls Saint Levant’s choice to don the necklace prompted anger among many Israelis, with some urging Prada cancel the partnership.
“The brand Prada and Palestinian musician Saint Levant (brand ambassador) are advertising their product, wearing a pendant with a fake Palestine map (from the river to the sea). If Prada promotes the EXTINCTION of Israel, let’s promote not buying from Prada,” one person commented on X.
Pro-Israel activist Hen Mazzig also weighed in on the matter, claiming that the pendant "erased" his country.
“If an Israeli, or any Jew, wore a pendant that included Gaza, the outrage would be instant. But erasing Israel, “from the river to the sea,” gets a luxury campaign,” he added. Another pro-Israel social media user said : “Prada needs to be cancelled for supporting people that want to eradicate Israel which is usually called genocide.” The New Arab reached out to Prada for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Despite the attempts by pro-Israel accounts to overshadow the campaign, the post by Prada on Instagram received close to 100,000 'likes'. Thousands of fans also commented with Palestine flag emojis and messages of support for Saint Levant.
"The right side of history," wrote one Instagram user.
"Palestinian king," said another. Palestinian heritage The Jerusalem-born singer has long been vocal about his Palestinian heritage and his fond memories of being raised in Gaza.
Since the beginning of Israel’s genocide in Gaza in October 2023, the singer has used his platform to campaign for the end of the Israeli occupation, emergency aid to be allowed into the enclave and a proper ceasefire.
Despite a truce being declared in October, Israel has continued to demolish buildings and kill Palestinians on a daily basis, while also failing to meet aid obligations set out in the terms of the truce.
Israel’s war on Gaza, determined to be a genocide by international rights groups, has killed over 73,000 Palestinians and devastated entire neighbourhoods. The offensive has also displaced almost the entire population and triggered a humanitarian crisis.
Saint Levant, who is known for often blending three languages in his songs, also founded the 2048 Foundation earlier this year, an initiative to fund and support Palestinian musicians and other creatives.
The organisation offers grants and mentorship to people in the industry.
Saint Levant previously told reporters the name of the foundation was an intentional choice to commemorate the Nakba, where over 700,000 Palestinians were killed and displaced by Zionist militias to establish the Israeli state.
He also added that young Palestinians in Gaza are rarely given the opportunity to pursue careers in music, due to living under blockade and exclusion from the wider global creative industry.