Not again! Walmart is under fire for selling an 'Israeli soldier' costume to kids

#retailproblems 

(businessinsider.com) Walmart's "Israeli soldier" costume for kids is drawing outrage on Facebook and Twitter.

The $27.44 costume includes a dark green shirt, pants, belt and red hat.

The ad for the costume features a young boy wearing the ensemble and holding a toy machine gun.

The costume has sparked anger at a time of increasing violence between Israel and the Palestinians.

"The fact that you have chosen to carry 'Israeli soldier costumes' for kids on your website and in your stores is extremely offensive and highly insensitive, not only to the millions of Palestinian-Americans that shop in your stores, but to anyone who has an ounce of humanity in their bodies," Sarah Amor Itayem wrote on the company's Facebook page.

"I urge you, as a Jewish-American, a wife of a Palestinian, a shopper, and most importantly, as a human being, that you reconsider your decision to sell these costumes and pull them from your shelves," she wrote.

We reached out to Walmart for comment on the costume and will update when we hear back. The company has in the past withdrawn costumes that provoked similar reactions.

Last year, the retailer pulled a "Pashtun Papa" costume after it was criticized as racist and offensive on social media, The Independent reports. Two years ago, it was also forced to withdraw an Osama bin Laden costume. (Full Story)