Decades after Fawlty Towers debuts, British actor stars in Israeli commercial, authorizes Israeli military strike.
By YONI DAYANJohn Cleese 370(photo credit: Screenshot)
Decades after the popular Fawlty Towers TV series hit the airwaves, iconic British actor John Cleese once again could not help but mention the war.In a new commercial advertising Israeli chocolate spread, Cleese, dressed as an anonymous Western general, is seen accidentally authorizing an Israeli military strike on a foreign country, a transparent reference to Iran.Sitting in the IDF headquarters' war-room, Israel military leaders are seen begging Cleese for permission to order the strike. "We need your approval for the attack," one general says. "I promise you, we will be in and out in 33 minutes!"Cleese, referred to as "General Rogers," seems generally disinterested in the Israeli pressure, his attention wandering to a Sababa Egozim chocolate spread container sitting on the table. After opening it, Cleese sloppily licks the wrapper, with some chocolate staining his nose.“Sababa egozim,” he says in Hebrew. The word “sababa,” originally Arabic, has been incorporated into Hebrew as “great.” “Egozim” translates to “nuts.” Taken together, the two words loosely translate to “Great stuff.”The Israeli military leaders rejoice upon hearing Cleese's proclamation, immediately high-fiving and ordering the strike.Cleese's commercial is not the first time a local advertisement referenced an Israeli military operation in Iran. Earlier this year, Tehran said it was considering a ban on Samsung products after HOT aired an advertisement making light of mysterious explosions in the Islamic Republic. HOT was offering the Samsung Galaxy as an enticement for prospective customers to sign up for its services.
