Israeli Comedian Yoni Kletzel Bombs on Stage After Mocking Palestinian Suffering—Silence Was LOUD

Israeli comedian Yoni Kletzel is currently at the center of a social media firestorm after a video of his stand-up performance went viral for all the wrong reasons. In the clip, Kletzel proudly declares that “no Palestinian should ever win an award ever” before launching into a series of tasteless jokes mocking Palestinian suffering, reducing their struggles to cheap punchlines.

His routine, which includes grotesque jabs at famine, humanitarian aid, and even the deaths of Palestinian children, landed with all the grace of a lead balloon—because, shocker, dehumanizing an entire people isn’t exactly hilarious. The crowd’s response? Deafening silence, with the occasional nervous chuckle from an audience that clearly wasn’t on board.

But don’t just take our word for it—let’s break down this disaster of a performance.

The Stand-Up Set That Fell Flat

The video opens with Kletzel reacting to the news that a Palestinian film won an award at the Oscars. Instead of using this moment to, I don’t know, celebrate global cinema, he immediately scoffs:

“I actually don’t believe that the Palestinian film should win any awards ever. ‘Cause they only know how to play one role: victim.”

Ah yes, because surviving occupation, bombings, and forced displacement is just method acting, right? (Spoiler alert: It’s not.)

He then spirals further into unfunny oblivion by mocking humanitarian crises, mimicking starving Palestinian families begging for aid:

“My family is so starving, they only got five products of humanitarian aid. Please donate. Link in the bio.”

And just when you thought he couldn’t get worse, he goes for the lowest possible bar:

“Fake dead baby.”

Yes, you read that correctly. Kletzel decides that the systematic killing of Palestinian children is somehow a punchline, complaining that they “never land the role right” and pretending to win a fake “Palestinian Oscar” by playing dead on stage.

At one point, sensing the awkward energy in the room, Kletzel literally begs for applause:

“You guys saw that performance right here, right? It’s incredible to get one more round of applause, you know?”

The audience? Crickets.

Zionism is not only evil, but it is straight up embarrassing. The silence was LOUD — yet he continued. pic.twitter.com/P4Hu6pGgwn

— PVT (@propvstruth) March 6, 2025

Social Media Reacts: “The Silence is LOUD”

After the video hit social media, the internet did what it does best: collectively roast the hell out of him. Twitter (or X, whatever we’re calling it now) was flooded with reactions, most of them dragging Kletzel for filth:

• “This is disgusting. The way he so eagerly grins and waits for the two awkward laughs he gets, only for no one to find him funny, is 1) hilariously pathetic and 2) actually demonic.”
• “The crowd silence is music to my ears.”
• “This was painful for MANY reasons. My goodness.”
• “The last thing a stand-up comedian should ever do is beg for applause. The second-to-last thing? Try to make genocide funny.”
• “These aren’t even jokes, he’s just regurgitating Israeli propaganda and waiting for a laugh at the end. Actually psychotic.”

And in perhaps the most brutal observation:

• “The dead silence between jokes, the dry and forced claps… this shit was PAINFUL to watch. Imagine performing a set like this and thinking you nailed it.”

Let’s be real—if you bomb this hard, maybe comedy isn’t for you.

Why This Is Bigger Than One Bad Set

While it’s easy to dismiss this as just another failed stand-up routine, Kletzel’s performance speaks to a much larger issue: the dehumanization of Palestinians in mainstream discourse. His so-called “jokes” reflect a mindset that trivializes real suffering and frames an entire population as undeserving of recognition, sympathy, or even basic human rights.

This isn’t happening in a vacuum. Just this week, the documentary No Other Land, co-directed by Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers, made history at the Oscars by winning Best Documentary Feature. The film sheds light on Israel’s ongoing displacement of Palestinian communities—but despite its critical acclaim, it has struggled to secure distribution in the U.S. due to political sensitivities.

Meanwhile, prominent Israeli figures like Kletzel continue to push the tired, racist “Pallywood” narrative—the idea that Palestinians fake their suffering for attention. (As if they need to. The death toll speaks for itself.)

Who is Yoni Kletzel, Anyway?

Kletzel isn’t exactly a household name, but he’s carved out a niche as a “provocative” (read: deeply unfunny) comedian who frequently defends Israel in his content. He’s attended pro-Palestinian rallies to troll activists and has made a habit of injecting himself into political conversations with the subtlety of a sledgehammer.

Recently, he appeared on a podcast discussing how he uses humor to “defend Israel,” which is certainly a choice considering his jokes are about as funny as a war crime.

Final Thoughts: When Comedy Crosses the Line

Look, comedy is subjective. Not every joke lands, and pushing boundaries is part of the craft. But there’s a difference between edgy and flat-out disgusting and dehumanizing.

If your routine involves mocking genocide, starving families, and dead children, maybe—and hear me out—you’re just a bad comedian. Because at the end of the day, the only joke here is Yoni Kletzel himself.

And judging by the silence from his own audience, even they got the memo.