It’s Thursday, October 23, and Benjamin Netanyahu is being babysat by a string of high-ranking American officials visiting Israel, ranging from Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, to JD Vance and Marco Rubio, who is landing in the Jewish state today.
At least, that’s the consensus in mainstream media, with one U.S. official even calling it “Bibi-sitting,” according to CNN.
Why? The narrative is simple: Donald Trump doesn’t trust that Netanyahu will abide by the Gaza ceasefire deal, so he’s sending his emissaries to Jerusalem to keep a close watch on the prime minister.
Well, I disagree. To paraphrase Ron Dermer, reading the news—especially in the Middle East—often tells us less about what is happening than about what people think is happening. And now is no different.