Netanyahu's new poodle: Conan O'Brien rolls over for Israel
Netanyahu's new poodle: Conan O'Brien rolls over for Israel
His trip to Israel was seen by many as a big Israeli PR stunt, and many took to Twitter to ask whether his trip was sponsored by Israel or Israeli-Americans.
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US TV host and comedian Conan O'Brien fed the dog of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during a visit to Israel last week, where he was filming for a TV special.
During his visit, the Late Night host praised Israel's military and hospital staff, and took to mocking Palestinians.
O'Brien met Netanyahu at his residence and took joy in feeding a cucumber to a canine while explaining that "no American dog is satisfied with a cucumber".
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During his trip, 54-year-old visited a hospital in the northern city of Safed and said the doctors there "deserve a Nobel Peace Prize", for allegedly treating people from "a neighbouring and enemy country" like Syria.
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O'Brien boasted about his encounters with Israeli military personnel, whom he described as "beautiful women" and "buff men".
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He caused a stir after tweeting a picture of himself with two plates of hummus, implying the Palestinian dish is Israeli.
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O'Brien caused further controversy in another tweet that implied Palestinian market dealers were cheaters.
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Overall, his trip to Israel was seen by many as a big Israeli PR stunt, and many took to Twitter to ask whether his trip was sponsored by Israel or Israeli-Americans.
"Can someone tell me why Conan O'Brian is now a propagandist for Israel?," one twitter user said.
"Conan O'Brien's trip to Israel has all the markings of an Israeli government-sponsored hasbara tour," another said.
In 2013, the American comedian garnered angry comments over a racist joke he made on twitter, which belittled Muslim women.
The TV host mocked Marvel's latest Muslim female superhero - Kamala Khan, a 16-year-old American girl who transforms into Ms Marvel after she is bestowed with special powers.
"Marvel Comics is introducing a new Muslim Female superhero. She has so many more special powers than her husband’s other wives," he tweeted, causing a major backlash that led him to delete the post.