The Atlantic on Thursday reported that a growing rift has emerged between Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to The Atlantic, Trump has become increasingly unsettled by the public backlash over “Israel’s” starvation siege on Gaza. While Trump had previously offered Netanyahu a symbolic boost by attacking Israeli prosecutors handling his corruption case, and Netanyahu returned the favor by nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, the article reports that this mutual flattery quickly gave way to tension over “Israel’s” ongoing military campaign and its catastrophic humanitarian consequences.
Citing unnamed administration officials, the report claims that Trump was disturbed by the surfacing of recent images of emaciated Palestinian children and the destruction of Gaza’s only Catholic church by an Israeli missile. He reportedly sent his envoy, Steve Witkoff, to the region to pressure “Israel” into allowing more aid into Gaza, because, as one adviser told the outlet, “he just really wants these stories to stop being on TV.”
Optical Dissonance
In a notable shift from Netanyahu’s outright denial of famine in Gaza, Trump told reporters this week when asked whether he agreed with the Israeli Prime Minister’s assessment on the situation in Gaza, “Based on television, I would say not particularly, because those children look very hungry… That’s real starvation stuff. I see it, and you can’t fake that.”
