No, Nike didn't make the Israeli flag shoe circulating online | Fact check
The claim: Nike custom-made Israeli shoes, other companies backed Israel amid war with Hamas
A March 5 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) makes claims about how several businesses responded to the Israel-Hamas war.
“Nike custom made Israeli shoes for a settler to show their support of Israeli colonialism,” the post says in part.
It also claims McDonald’s donated food to Israeli Defense Forces soldiers, that Starbucks sued its union employees for supporting Palestinians, that Chanel donated $4 million to Israel and that the U.S. government has given more than $150 billion in aid to Israel since 1946.
The post received more than 30,000 likes in less than a week.
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Our rating: Partly false
The shoes in question were a pair of Nikes hand-painted by a third-party business unaffiliated with Nike. The post's claims about Starbucks suing its union, Chanel donating money to support Israel and McDonald’s giving free meals to Israeli Defense Forces soldiers are accurate. The U.S. aid number in the claim is actually understated – the U.S. has given significantly more than $150 billion in aid to Israel since 1946.
Business unaffiliated with Nike painted Israeli flag on its shoes
The Nike claim is a reference to a video posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that shows a person opening a box holding a pair of Nike shoes with an Israeli flag design.
A label on the packaging says “PNT by Ray,” a business that customizes shoes. In one of its Facebook posts featuring a different pair of hand-painted Nike shoes, the business said it is not affiliated with Nike, nor does the brand have authorization to use its artwork on Nike products.
The artist behind PNT by Ray, who declined to be named due to fear of harassment said customers send in a pair of shoes or other product that the business then paints on and returns.
"The pair in the video is one I made for Michael Dickson because I am a fan of his and appreciate his advocacy for Israel during this turbulent time for Jews," the artist said, referring to the executive director for StandWithUs Israel, a pro-Israel organization that fights antisemitism.
The sneakers with the Israeli flag design do not appear on Nike’s website or social media pages.
Other elements of the post line up with prior reporting.
The post's claim that the U.S. has sent over $150 billion to Israel since 1946 is true, though the actual figure is well above that. The Council on Foreign Relations, for example, reported the U.S. has given Israel about $300 billion between 1946 and 2023, adjusted for inflation. U.S. News and World Report said the figure was at more than $260 billion since World War II.
Fact check: Pepsi can design predates Israel-Hamas war, unrelated to ongoing conflict
McDonald’s Israel announced in October 2023 it had given thousands of free meals to Israeli Defense Forces soldiers in a move that prompted backlash from other McDonald’s franchises in the Middle East, Reuters reported.
Starbucks filed a lawsuit against Starbucks Workers United after the union posted a pro-Palestinian statement on social media amid the Israel-Hamas war, USA TODAY reported. Starbucks alleged that the post damaged its reputation and led to threatening phone calls and hostile customers at its locations.
A leaked internal memo from Chanel said the company was donating $4 million to humanitarian relief efforts in Israel amid the war, as reported by Women’s Wear Daily, an online fashion magazine.
USA TODAY has debunked an array of false claims surrounding corporate stances on the Israel-Hamas war, including that McDonald’s changed its wrappers to support Israel, that Starbucks released a watermelon mug in support of Palestinians and that Starbucks was closing stores in Morocco and San Francisco because of pro-Palestinian boycotts.
USA TODAY reached out to Chanel and the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response. Nike declined to comment.
Logically also debunked the Nike claim.
Our fact-check sources:
PNT by Ray employee, March 11, Email exchange with USA TODAY
Nike, accessed March 7, website search
PNT by Ray, Feb. 26, Facebook post
Council on Foreign Relations, Jan. 23, U.S. Aid to Israel in Four Charts
USA TODAY, Oct. 19, 2023, Starbucks, union file dueling lawsuits over pro-Palestine social media post
Reuters, Oct. 17, 2023, Free meals for Israeli soldiers divide McDonald’s franchises
Women’s Wear Daily, Oct. 17, 2023, Fashion Firms Are Making Humanitarian Donations During Israel-Hamas War
U.S. News and World Report, Oct. 10, 2023, How Much Aid Does the U.S. Give to Israel?
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Small business customized Nike shoes to add Israeli flag | Fact check
