Adidas is defending its single-shoe service after anti-Israel activists launched boycott calls over a campaign featuring Shalev Biton, an Israeli veteran who lost his left leg. The company has rejected claims that the accessibility initiative was created specifically for Israeli soldiers, emphasizing that it serves customers internationally.

Biton appeared alongside 10 other disabled athletes in promotional posters displayed in Adidas stores in Israel, not internationally. The service they highlighted addresses a straightforward problem: customers who need only one shoe can purchase it for half the price of a pair, rather than paying for footwear they cannot use.

Biton’s story began long before the current controversy. In May 2021, he was serving in the Nahal Brigade’s 931st Battalion, protecting Netiv Ha’asara against possible terrorist infiltration, when a Hamas anti-tank missile struck his military vehicle on the Israeli side of the Gaza border. The attack killed his friend, Staff Sgt. Omer Tabib, and left Biton critically wounded.

His left leg was amputated. Following rehabilitation, he returned to running with a prosthetic limb. When announcing his Adidas collaboration, he described repeatedly having to buy two running shoes despite using only one. For him, the service represented a practical change: businesses adapting to people with disabilities, rather than expecting them to bear every inconvenience themselves.

That message has been overtaken by a campaign amplified by Spanish actor Javier Bardem and prominent pro-Palestinian accounts. Activists have circulated images contrasting Biton with Palestinian children who lost limbs in Gaza, accusing Adidas of overlooking Palestinian suffering. Others have encouraged consumers to discard the company’s products.

But some viral claims misrepresent Biton’s history. His injury occurred in 2021, more than two years before the war triggered by Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack. He was not wounded fighting inside Gaza, as some posts suggest. His promotional video did not mention his military service or explain how he lost his leg.

Adidas’ own launch announcement documents the initiative’s wider origins. The service began in 23 European countries and was developed in consultation with disability communities and organizations, including ParalympicsGB. The European offering covers in-stock footwear at Adidas-owned stores, including outlets, rather than a special collection reserved for veterans.

Responding to the controversy, Adidas said interpretations circulating online had misrepresented the service’s purpose. The company emphasized its international scope and said it had subsequently expanded into additional Asian and Middle Eastern markets.

For Biton, the fallout has been personal. He described tens of thousands of hostile posts, videos and messages, and appealed to supporters to share his page and stand alongside him. “I want to feel that you’re here with me,” he wrote.