(JTA) — A new Benetton ad campaign depicts Benjamin Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas kissing each other.
The clothing company’s "Unhate" campaign launched Tuesday withdrew an ad the following day depicting Pope Benedict XVI kissing an imam following a complaint from the Vatican, according to reports. Several of the ads launched reportedly were removed shortly after they went up in Milan, New York, Paris, Tel Aviv and Rome.
Other Photoshopped images featured kisses between President Obama and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, and German Prime Minister Angela Merkel with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
One report said the Bibi-Abbas smooch was greeted in Israel with a mixture of amusement and indifference.
The campaign is part of the new Unhate Foundation founded by the Benetton Group. The foundation "seeks to contribute to the creation of a new culture of tolerance, to combat hatred, building on Benetton’s underpinning values," according to the foundation’s website.
According to a statement on the website, the foundation will "seek to become a center for research and innovation on an international level, creating specific social campaigns on the themes of tolerance, some of which will be developed in partnership with international organizations."
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