American comedian Conan O'Brien was on what could be described as a fan tour of Israel last week.
During the trip, he praised Israeli soldiers, tried Tel Aviv's "craziest drink," subtly mocked Arabs and even fed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's dog.
"The best part is the people," O'Brien said, describing Israeli women as "beautiful" and men as "buff."
Here O'Brien brags about the women of the Israeli military
In this tweet, he suggests hummus is Israeli
O'Brien portrays Arabs as eager to rip people off
He drank an "apartheid-tini" ... or Tel Aviv's "craziest drink" as he refers to it
And he didn't miss the chance to feed Netanyahu's dog ...
O'Brien and Netanyahu bantered and joked in a friendly manner, suggesting the Israeli PM is just an ordinary swell guy.
He also fawned over Israeli actress and former soldier Gal Gadot
During the 2014 assault on Gaza, the Wonder Woman star publicly prayed in support of Israeli military efforts, which left over 1,400 Palestinian civilians dead.
Of course, Obrien also made some nods to Palestinians
And hung out with an Arab-Israeli family
But overall ... it was one big PR stunt for Israel
Why didn't he show the ongoing destruction of Palestinian homes?
Or the broad devastation the Israeli military has caused?
Many have called out O'Brien for the trip
Propaganda?
It's like it was sponsored by the Israeli government
While it's unclear whether O'Brien received any funding for the trip linked to Israel or Israeli-Americans, this is definitely not out of the realm of strong possibility.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC, a Zionist lobby group) is widely considered to be the most influential lobbying organization in the United States. Not only does the AIPAC – along with other prominent groups supporting Israel – routinely send American politicians on trips to Israel, it also runs a massive PR campaign touching every part of the American media landscape.
So, while Netanyahu and his government continue to uphold draconian and apartheid policies, American stars like O'Brien get fun trips and the chance to feed the PM's dog.