Gwyneth Paltrow's ad for an Israeli luxury housing project has sparked backlash and points to a bigger push to draw outsiders and money into Israel while the war in Gaza continues.

• Paltrow fronted an ad for luxury apartment towers near Herzliya Park in coastal Israel, drawing anger because Israel is accused of genocide in Gaza.
• The ad is seen as part of a wider Hollywood-and-marketing effort to repair Israel's badly damaged public image.
• Israel just passed big tax breaks to lure new immigrants and returning residents, exempting much of their income for a limited window.
• The Knesset also approved tax benefits for West Bank settlements and over 2,000 new settlement homes, pushed by Finance Minister Smotrich toward a goal of 1 million settlers.
• The worry raised is "normalization" — making a brutal situation feel acceptable by turning it into a money-making opportunity.

Outlook: Expect more celebrity-backed promotion and financial incentives as Israel tries to win over foreign immigrants and investors, with the settlement push likely to expand.