With millions of Palestinians in Gaza facing genocide at the hands of Israel, Marks & Spencer found themselves in the centre of a storm after producing a Christmas advertising that many saw as carrying subliminal anti-Palestinian themes.

Despite the long-standing boycott of M&S by many, customers are now demanding the closure of M&S locations in the Middle East.

In the first video, a lady wearing what many believed to be the occupation’s flag—blue eyeliner—smirked while glancing at some invitations she had burned on fire. A picture that showed headgear burning up in a way that mirrored the colours of the Palestinian flag quickly became associated with the campaign.

The slogan “#LoveThismasNotThatmas,” which was captioned, infuriated some even more because they perceived it as a blatant allusion to Hamas.

The controversial post was removed by Marks & Spencer from their official Instagram account in an attempt to respond to the growing backlash.

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The British retail behemoth promptly issued an official statement addressing the issue.

“Today we shared an outtake image from our Christmas Clothing and Home advert, which was recorded in August. It showed traditional, festive coloured red, green, and silver Christmas paper party hats in a fire grate,” it said.

“While the intent was to playfully show that some people just don’t enjoy wearing paper Christmas hats over the festive season, we have removed the post following feedback and we apologise for any unintentional hurt caused.”

Those who are acquainted with Marks & Spencer’s past may not find this dispute surprising.

The company was founded because of its ties to Zionism and Israel. The most important decision Simon Marks made when he became chairman in 1916 was to appoint his childhood buddy Israel Sieff as a business director. Simon Marks also made a number of other commercial improvements.

Their relationship went well beyond business to include Zionist advocacy. Influenced by Chaim Weizmann since 1913, Sieff collaborated with Weizmann and Marks to play a crucial part in the events that culminated in the 1917 Balfour Declaration.

But the relationships didn’t stop there. Simon Marks’ sister and Israel Sieff’s wife Rebecca played a key role in creating WIZO, the Women’s Zionist Organization, in 1920.