NEW DELHI: The world is one complicated place. And one of the most complicated places in the world is the Middle East that even a chart that attempts to explain what is going on in simple terms ends up looking complicated.

The chart could be made simpler by just replacing the red and green legends with the yellow “I am hella confused” one.

But we digress. To get back on track -- two of the major conflicts in the Middle East involve Israel. Israel is unhappy with Iran and Israel is unhappy with Palestine (Israel is unhappy with a whole host of other countries but let’s focus on these two dominant conflicts).

Because it’s all so complicated, you cannot blame Israel for trying to explain these two conflicts in, shall we say, simpler terms. You cannot blame the intention, after all, some of the most complicated issues have succinctly and profoundly captured in simple representations -- heck, political cartoons are based on this feat!

Israel, however, needs to hire a better political cartoonist. Here are some attempts by the country to explain its two major conflicts that will make you:


1. Iran equals the Islamic State



“No one would dream of allowing the Islamic State to have nuclear weapons. So why would anyone let the more powerful Islamic state of Iran have nuclear weapons?” the caption below the video asks. “The Islamic State of Iran… Like ISIS, just bigger” the video ends.

Need we say more?

2. “Open your eyes” because terror rules Gaza



“Open your eyes… Terror rules Gaza” the video released by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs states. The video is clearly a criticism of western coverage of Gaza. The Foreign Press Association said it was “surprised and alarmed by the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s decision to produce a cartoon mocking the foreign media’s coverage” of the war.” “At a time when Israel has serious issues to deal with in Iran and Syria, it is disconcerting that the ministry would spend its time producing a 50-second video that attempts to ridicule journalists reporting on a conflict in which 2,100 Palestinians and 72 Israelis were killed,” it added.

3. Gaza Heights: High living and low-lifes

“Save Gaza from Hamas” this video concludes, with the caption reading: “Come take a short animated tour of Gaza Heights, the most tranquil neighborhood in the Strip. This video tour by Really Reality Realtors also provides an exclusive look behind the scenes of "Underground Gaza," a lively network of tunnels that even reach Israeli town centers. Warning: By law, Really Reality Realtors is required to inform you before you purchase a house that you will probably become a human shield, whether you want to or not. We have warned you: when Hamas puts lethal rockets in your home and then exploits the bodies of your children for propaganda purposes, don't blame us. Blame Hamas!”

4. Netanyahu's cartoon bomb



It’s not just videos, this cartoonist simplification has made it all the way to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speeches. In an address to the UN General Assembly, Netanyahu explained Iran’s nuclear programme and connected it to how Iran could actually produce a bomb. Umm…