_a.jpg "Photo: Yaron Brener")
Gillerman: Stands the challenge
Photo: Yaron Brener
Gillerman goes on The Daily Show
Israeli ambassador to UN steps into the ring as first ambassador to be interviewed on Jon Stewart's satirical news show. In effort to reach young audiences with Israeli public relations, Gillerman answers questions on nukes, having a country run by Jews - and reads from porno script
WASHINGTON – In attempt to reach a new audience to improve Israel's public image, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Dan Gillerman decided to be the first ambassador hosted on the television satire The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. (View clip here)
Although the program earned an Emmy award this year, being hosted on The Daily Show is considered "risky". Gillerman met the challenge, answering questions on Iran's nuclear program and even reading a brief pornographic text.
The Daily Show recently started a new section of the show in which it interviews foreign ambassadors in the United States. The aim is to reach the under-21 sector in the US and Canada – 80 percent of whom get all of their news updates from late-night TV shows like those of David Letterman, Jay Leno and Jon Stewart, rather than from the big news networks.
British writer John Oliver, the show's diplomatic correspondent, presented Israel as the "Big Falafel" and asked Gillerman about "a nasty conspiracy theory going around which says that your country is being run by Jews." Gillerman proudly confirmed.
Regarding Israel's "war record", Oliver asked whether Israel "comes up with the names first and the wars second. What's your creative process?" Gillerman, smiling, said the names were chosen after the wars.
Oliver insisted on knowing whether Israel would launch a nuclear attack on Iran, to which Gillerman responded, "Israel has never said that it has nuclear weapons."
Not letting up, Oliver asked: "Let's say I have a friend who's ambassador of a state called Fisrael, and he's having a bit of trouble with an enemy in Iroon – should he use his nuclear weapons against Iroon?"
"Israel has never said it has nuclear weapons," Gillerman repeated.
"No, no. Fisrael. Does Fisrael have nuclear weapons?" Oliver insisted.
"Well I think you'll have to ask the Fisraeli ambassador," Gillerman answered, to the delight of the audience.
Oliver then asked Gillerman to pass on a pornographic screenplay he wrote, called "Pimpin' is Easy", to Jewish producers in Hollywood, but had to make do with having the ambassador read out loud from the script with him.
Most of the Daily Show's production staff are Jewish, including Jon Stewart himself. The show's staff praised Gillerman's sportsmanlike attitude in agreeing to be the first ambassador interviewed on the show.
