Accidental Blogger

What is the problem with Israeli made commercials?  A few months ago we featured this ridiculously tasteless spectacle and now a friend points me to another ad from Israel whose makers seem equally oblivious to the implications of the imagery they present.   

So, some Israeli soldiers are gleefully playing a game of soccer with invisible Palestinians on the other side of the "wall." What does that signify? That the wall has been effective against suicide bombers and has made Israelis so safe and secure that even uniformed soldiers can indulge in a lighthearted game of ball with the enemy? Or does it mean that the wall can shield Israeli citizens from thinking uncomfortable thoughts about the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories? A simple "out of sight, out of mind" solution for a complex and intractable problem. Or did the ad makers mean to invoke something deeper, like the WWI Christmas Day truce between German and British soldiers, who were rumored to have played soccer with each other during a brief period of camaraderie? (never mind that they went back to slaughtering each other after the armistice was over.) Perhaps it doesn't mean anything. The tacky video is probably just another example of a crass attempt at peddling a product. After all, as my friend translated for me, the voice-over at the end of the mindless message coos, “We just want to have a little fun”.