US influencer Clavicular’s ‘Israelmaxxing’ propaganda trip ends in national scandal

US influencer Clavicular’s ‘Israelmaxxing’ propaganda trip ends in national scandal

Submitted by
Elis Gjevori
on
Wed, 07/15/2026 - 11:13

The visit exposed disorder inside Israel’s propaganda machine, as Israelis turned on the 'looksmaxxer' for his past antisemitic remarks

Rabbi Yossi Farro from New York who brought Braden Eric Peters, also known as Clavicular, to Israel (Screengrab/Instagram)

Off

An attempt to turn controversial American influencer Clavicular into an unlikely ambassador for Israel has ended in embarrassment, with an Israeli soldier working for the military's propaganda unit removed from her position after appearing in his livestreams.

The trip served two purposes, including securing favourable content for Israel as the Gaza genocide shreds its international standing, and to rehabilite the reputation of an online influencer accused of antisemitism.

Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Eric Peters, is a leading figure in the “looksmaxxing” movement, an online male subculture built around the extreme pursuit of physical attractiveness.

Its followers promote tactics as diverse as traditional grooming and bodybuilding to dangerous practices such as drug use and “bone-smashing” – hitting the face, sometimes with a hammer, in an attempt to redefine the contours of the jaw.

Their end goal is to "framemogg" male competitors, by appearing more attractive than rivals in pictures.

Taking the internet by storm in recent years, Clavicular's presence has suffered several setbacks.

One was the reaction to his appearance with several other influencers, including Andrew Tate, Mexican-American white nationalist Nick Fuentes, and Sneako amongst others.

The group sang the lyrics to the widely banned song, Heil Hilter by Kanye West, during a visit to a Miami nightclub in January, sparking outrage amongst Jewish groups.

Another blow was being ridiculed after being "framemogged" by an unlikely rival, dubbed "ASU frat leader", also in early 2026.

The visit by Peters to Israel was considered an opportunity for him to win back fans in the Jewish community and for Israel to claw back support amongst younger demographics by earning the endorsement of a high-profile figure on social media.

The right-wing, pro-Israel outlet The Free Press celebrated the visit, dubbing it “Israelmaxxing”, writing that Clavicular “came to party, meet girls and talk looksmaxxing”.

'I have done this for Israel's reputation'

Clavicular's journey towards Zionism came through his contact with Rabbi Yossi Farro, a New York Hasidic Jew, part of the Chabad-Lubavitch religious sect.

Its messianic, ultra-Orthodox ideology has repeatedly been linked to hardline settler-colonial politics in Palestine.

Farro publicly courted the influencer and helped showcase his first visit to Israel in a video on Instagram.

UAE influencers defend Emiratis mentioned in Epstein files

Read More »

Bizarrely, Farro presented Peters with a necklace combining the OpenAI logo and a Star of David, then posted another conversation describing the biblical Joseph as the first looksmaxxer.

The trip started smoothly for the influencer but he soon ran into trouble when Israelis confronted him over his past antisemitic actions and his association with a serving Israeli soldier.

Peters appeared repeatedly with Shira Braun, a soldier serving in the Israeli army’s Spokesperson’s Unit - known as the propaganda arm of the army.

During the broadcasts, Peters sought to touch and kiss Braun, spoke about taking her to a hotel and asked whether he would receive $7,000 for publishing pro-Israel posts.

Israeli military officials later reprimanded Braun, barred her from continuing as a social media coordinator and removed her from the Spokesperson’s Unit. She will serve in another unit for the remainder of her military service.

Elsewhere, Israeli club owners kicked Clavicular out of their establishments, as other partygoers threatened him for his part in the Kanye West episode.

Instead of a mea culpa, the influencer refused to apologise. 

View on Instagram

Israel’s Channel 13 interviewed Peters, asking him whether he had travelled to Israel to apologise for the “Heil Hitler” video.

Clavicular rejected the question and walked off camera but not before he accused the interviewer of “trying to drag me through the mud” and not “talking about how much I’ve done for this country’s reputation, because it’s in utter shambles”.

The episode delivered precisely the opposite of the polished publicity Israeli officials were looking for amid a global backlash against Israel over war crimes in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Polling published in April found that 60 percent of Americans held an unfavourable view of Israel, with negative attitudes particularly strong among younger people.

Inside Israel

Trending

Post Date Override

0

Update Date

Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19

Update Date Override

0 ...