Israeli Government cartoon deriding western coverage backfires

Israel’s Foreign Press Association has expressed alarm about an Israeli government cartoon video deriding Western media coverage of the war in Gaza last year.

The video, produced by Israel’s Foreign Ministry, depicts a clueless, blonde, American TV journalist reporting idiotically from the Gaza Strip, saying “no terrorists here” as masked Hamas fighters launch rockets in the background.

But the PR stunt backfired, as the crass approach was widely lampooned around the world, with criticism from Israel’s foreign journalists among the most strident.

“Israel’s diplomatic corps wants to be taken seriously in the world,” said the FPA. “Posting misleading and poorly-conceived videos on YouTube is inappropriate, unhelpful and undermines the ministry, which says it respects the foreign press and its freedom to work in Gaza.”