Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli has come under fired since she became the new face of an ad produced by Israeli Foreign Ministry to promote her home country.
The Israeli army criticized the Israel's Foreign Ministry for selecting the blonde beauty to head their technology campaign earlier this month because Refaeli avoided being drafted into the military and is a bad example to Israel's youth, they stated.
"I wish to turn your attention to the negative message that could be delivered to Israeli society," an army spokesman wrote to the foreign ministry.
Tthe 27-year-old Sports Illustrated cover girl avoided the draft by getting married to a family friend in order to pursue her modeling career. She then reportedly filed for divorce once she was exempted.
In response to the military, the foreign ministry's defended their decision to place Refaeli as the face of their campaign. "Bar Refaeli ... is considered one of the most beautiful women in the world and she is widely recognized as Israeli. There is no reason to dredge up the past when we are dealing with a public diplomacy campaign of this kind."
However the army argues that the fact that she didn't serve in the army disqualifies her from representing her country. In effect, she is not a true Israeli.
The diplomats disagree claiming and want to get rid of the notion that Israel is merely a military success story. Rather, they want to highlight Israel's many other achievements in the field of technology, where Israel shines, to show the world that it is more than just a country in conflict.
Watch the campaign ad featuring Bar Refaeli below.