Netanyahu’s Puppet Show: Trump, Gaza and the Death of International Law

By Mohamad Hammoud

A Stage Set for Hypocrisy

In July 2025, under the golden chandeliers of the White House, a grotesque display of geopolitical theater unfolded. President Donald Trump, beaming with self-congratulation, welcomed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose military continues to flatten Gaza while defying international norms. As children died under rubble and hospitals collapsed under bombardment, these two men exchanged smiles—and a letter. Netanyahu, with all the cunning of a veteran manipulator, formally nominated Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. It was not a peace summit. It was the coronation of impunity: a war criminal flattering a narcissist, and a self-declared peacemaker basking in bloodstained praise.

Trump's Ceasefire Theater

Trump's proposed 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, brokered through Qatar and Egypt, was presented as a diplomatic breakthrough. In reality, it was political posturing. With the US elections on the horizon and mounting international outrage over the devastation in Gaza, Trump sought a public relations victory. He promoted the ceasefire deal as "historic," insisting that "both sides" needed to act. But Netanyahu, who had already agreed in principle, knew that Trump could do little more than talk.

Despite U.S. efforts, Netanyahu refused to end the war until Hamas was dismantled. Trump may have thought he was pressuring Netanyahu, but in truth, Netanyahu had the upper hand. With AIPAC and the pro- "Israel" lobby firmly behind Trump, the US president was boxed in. He could plead, but he could not impose his will. Netanyahu had no reason to concede—not when his greatest enabler was seated across the dinner table.

Netanyahu's Ego Play: The Nobel Nomination

What Netanyahu offered Trump at their July 7 dinner was not a compromise, but flattery. In a calculated move, he presented Trump with a letter formally nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. It was an audacious, almost laughable gesture. But it worked. Trump, visibly moved, called it "very meaningful," and soon after, redoubled his rhetoric about bringing peace to the Middle East.

This was not diplomacy. It was a case of ego manipulation of the highest order. Netanyahu, a seasoned operator, understands Trump's most profound weakness: his need for admiration and validation. By inflating Trump's image as a global statesman, Netanyahu ensured continued American complicity in "Israel's" campaign of destruction in Gaza. The Nobel letter was not a token—it was leverage. And Trump, eager for glory, took the bait.

While Gaza Burns, the World Applauds

Just one day after the White House meeting, "Israel" bombed civilian areas in Gaza again. Over 40 Palestinians were killed, including children. Hospitals overflowed. Entire families were buried beneath collapsed homes. Trump said nothing. His Nobel narrative was incompatible with the reality on the ground.

While Gaza suffers, Netanyahu returns to Tel Aviv stronger, his hands further untied. He had not only survived US pressure—he had turned it into a personal endorsement. Trump, intoxicated by praise and blinded by ambition, played directly into Netanyahu's strategy. Once again, the victims of this performance were the people of Gaza, trapped under blockade, bombardment, and betrayal.

Europe's Cowardice and the Collapse of Legal Norms

This travesty was not confined to Washington. European governments—so often sanctimonious about the rule of law—willingly aided Netanyahu's travel despite the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant. Italy, France, Germany, and others—all signatories to the Rome Statute—allowed Netanyahu to pass through their airspace unchallenged.

This was not a logistical oversight. It was an act of political cowardice. Had Netanyahu been a Muslim leader—say, the president of Iran or a military official from Sudan—he would have been arrested the moment his plane touched down or entered European skies. But for the leader of "Israel," the rules were bent, the law ignored, and justice suspended.

Lawless Alliances and the Death of Accountability

What the July 2025 meeting revealed is that international law now relies less on treaties than on geopolitics. When powerful states protect violators, the law is powerless. Trump and Netanyahu, backed by lobbyists and tolerated by Western allies, have built an alliance in which justice is secondary to strategy and ego.

With Trump in the White House and Netanyahu in power, the idea of international accountability has collapsed. The ICC can issue warrants, but they are meaningless if world powers refuse to act. This is how law dies—not with defiance, but with indifference. And Gaza continues to bleed under the weight of that indifference.

The Verdict: Performance Over Peace

The July 2025 summit will be remembered not as a breakthrough for peace but as a low point in modern diplomacy. Netanyahu flattered Trump with the illusion of a legacy, and Trump embraced it at the cost of lives and legality. The world watched a grotesque performance in which war crimes were excused, law was ignored, and a Nobel nomination replaced justice.

This is not diplomacy. This is complicity. And history will remember who stood by, who enabled, and who cheered as Gaza burned.