Coca Cola’s recent ad that aired in Bangladesh tried to downplay its links to Israel.
As reported by Israel HaYom, during the ad, a young man named Soheil arrives at a market with his friends on a hot day, but he refuses to buy Coca-Cola, claiming its origin is "in that place" - a reference to Israel. It's important to note that the name of the State of Israel is not explicitly mentioned at any point in the advertisement. The seller explains that Coca-Cola is consumed in many countries, including Turkey, Spain, Dubai, and even in "Palestine".
The ad also misleadingly claims that there is a Coke factory in “Palestine”, not a little ironic as there actually is a big Coke factory in Bnei Brak, Israel.
Just last week, Coke featured prominently in Israeli publications when recently rescued Hamas hostage Noa Argamani shared a bottle of Coca Cola with her father.
Perhaps in light of this possibly unwanted connection by Coca Cola and in response to Palestinian pressure, they finally caved, in their new and somewhat bizarre advert, where they are sure to offend many.