Conan's Israel Trip and the Normalization of Occupation

Conan O’Brien’s 2017 episode of Conan Without Borders in Israel was marketed as a humorous cultural exchange, but it has faced significant criticism for contributing to the normalization of what leading human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, define as an apartheid regime imposed on Palestinians. A key segment featured Conan joking with Israeli soldiers at an IDF base, portraying the military as personable and playful while ignoring its documented role in enforcing occupation, home demolitions, checkpoints, and the Gaza blockade. Particularly contentious was his appearance with Gal Gadot, a vocal supporter of the Israeli military, whose inclusion further reinforced a sanitized image of a state engaged in systemic oppression. Crucially, the episode excluded meaningful engagement with Palestinians or occupied territories like Ramallah or Hebron. It omitted visual and narrative acknowledgment of the separation wall and settlement expansion, thereby erasing the daily realities faced by Palestinians. After a preview screening, segments filmed in Bethlehem — including an interview with a grieving Palestinian father — were removed from the final broadcast due to discomfort from viewers, further highlighting the editorial bias. This decision, along with added disclaimers on West Bank-related content, underlines how the episode was curated to appeal to Western audiences while sidestepping Israel’s apartheid policies. Another deeply problematic moment in Conan O’Brien’s Israel special was his friendly segment with then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — a political figure widely accused of war crimes and central to enforcing apartheid policies. Sitting in Netanyahu’s private residence, Conan shared jokes, small talk, and even fed cucumbers to the Prime Minister’s dog. The segment played out like a casual dinner with a quirky world leader, entirely sidestepping Netanyahu’s role in orchestrating military assaults on Gaza, expanding illegal settlements, and upholding systemic policies of segregation and dispossession. This kind of media treatment does more than entertain — it normalizes and legitimizes a man accused by international human rights organizations of overseeing state violence and apartheid. By humanizing Netanyahu through light-hearted banter rather than confronting the atrocities committed under his leadership, the show further entrenched a distorted narrative that favors comfort over accountability.