The American magazine “The Nation” published an article by Jack Merkinson in which he commented on news reports that spoke of US President Joe Biden’s anger at Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister.

 On Sunday, the Washington Post published a report with a dramatic headline in which it claimed that relations between Biden and Netanyahu were terrible. It stated: “President Joe Biden and his team have reached the brink of a break with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, more than at any time since the beginning of the war in Gaza.” They no longer view him as a productive ally whom they can influence through private conversations, according to people familiar with the internal discussions. Growing frustration with Netanyahu led some of Biden's aides to urge him to publicly criticize the prime minister over the military operation in Gaza, according to six people familiar with the discussions, who requested anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss internal deliberations.

The writer comments that the newspaper’s use of the expressions “estrangement,” “more than ever” since the beginning of the war in Gaza, and “increasing frustration” gives the average reader the impression that a major shift in the administration’s position will occur soon. The average reader, who has not read about Gaza before the Washington Post report, may assume that a shift is underway in the American approach to Israel's attack on Gaza.

But the average reader who follows coverage of Gaza can discover what has become expected in reports about the manifestations of anger that appeared in the post-October 7 period: “Behind the lights, Biden is very angry at Netanyahu.” The problem with these reports is that they have absolutely nothing to do with the way Biden is managing the war.

Major television stations and newspapers have published these stories time after time since the beginning of the Israeli bombing of Gaza. On November 7, a month after the start of the war, ABC News published on its website that “there are increasing differences” between Biden and Netanyahu.

On November 15, NBC published a report in which it said that “Biden administration officials are in constant contradiction with the government of Benjamin Netanyahu.” On November 16, the British Guardian published a report in which it said, “Tensions are rising behind the scenes.” On December 14, CNN described it as “unprecedented tensions” over the war. In the same context, “The Hill” website published on December 18 what it described as an “increasingly critical” White House. On December 21, he wrote that Biden and Netanyahu were “increasing in their differences.” The New York Times was not far behind, writing on December 31 that things were fraught “between the two countries.” On January 14, Axios published a report in which it said that Biden “has become increasingly frustrated” with Netanyahu. On January 17, NBC News referred to “the Biden administration’s growing frustration.” On January 19, National Public Radio, NPR, reported what it described as a “deepening rift,” and the Associated Press wrote that “relations between the two leaders reveal growing tension.” The same words were stated in a report published by “The Hill” website on January 24. On February 8, the New York Times published that “relations between the Biden administration and Netanyahu have become increasingly fraught with problems.”

These reports were characterized by the same tone, as they were quoted by unknown figures. Their sources vary, such as a number of officials who declined to be identified in a January 17 report on NBC. The New York Times based its report on December 31 on “prominent American and Israeli figures,” and the Axios website spoke with four figures in its report on January 14. In its report published on February 11, The Washington Post quoted 19 figures inside and outside the administration, all of whom spoke in an informal manner and expressed the Biden administration’s disappointment in Netanyahu. They may have added some language, such as reducing the number of civilian deaths. An official told NBC on November 15, “We are concerned that they are not doing enough to reduce the number of civilian casualties.” The Washington Post said in its report on February 11, “American leaders warned that the high level of killing among civilians will ensure that an extremist population will live close to Israel for the coming decades.” They may have alluded to the cold calls between Biden and Netanyahu or the frustration of American officials arriving in the region with Netanyahu.

The writer emphasized that all reports tell us that frustration is mounting, that risks have increased, that tensions have become more tense, and that the rift between Biden and Netanyahu has widened. Looking at these reports, they give a picture of a president who has run out of patience and that tension has reached the point of combustion.

Whoever looks at what is happening in the reality of the American-Israeli relationship will see that the media is the only one that believed the idea of frustration and tension.

In the real world, Israeli slaughter has not stopped. On the same day that ABC News swore there was a “divergence” between Biden and Netanyahu, the Palestinian death toll was 10,812. By February 8, when the New York Times confirmed that things had become bad between them, the death toll in Gaza had reached 27,840 people.

The writer added that in the real world, Biden and his co-conspirators continued arming Israel. Democratic leadership summoned lawmakers on Super Bowl Day to vote Sunday on an aid package for Ukraine and Israel that was described as “security assistance.” In the real world, Biden blocked moves toward a ceasefire at the United Nations and refused to put pressure on Israel to agree to one. The writer pointed out that in a New York Times report on Friday about the envoys that Biden sent to the state of Michigan to reduce tensions with the Arab-American community, the president’s aides refused to comment on whether or not they had advised the president regarding the call for a ceasefire that the participants demanded. “You won't get an answer,” an official told a journalist. In the real world, Biden has refused to place any conditions on US military aid to Israel. Last week, Biden issued a presidential order “granting authority to quickly cut off military aid to countries that violate international protection of civilians,” according to an Associated Press report. Democrats were quick to portray the matter as historic and powerful, and Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren said, “This is a major change in the way the United States deals with military support and its impact on civilians.”

But the writer pointed out that the White House press spokesman was quick to clarify that the matter did not include American support for Israel, that the United States “does not impose standards on military support,” and that Israel assured the White House of its commitment to protecting civilians, which the press did not acknowledge, and even provided justifications for.

The Washington Post reported on Sunday, in the sixth paragraph, “For now, the White House has rejected calls to suspend military support for Israel or impose conditions because this would embolden Israel’s enemies.” But - the writer points out - some did not mention this, and even continued to help the White House portray Biden as angry in his phone calls and vague statements in press conferences, and that they were more important than his open support for Israel with weapons used to commit massacres.

The writer asserts that there will be no trace of a friend's secret anger at an ally who provides him with weapons and knows that they are being used to commit violence. This only happens in foreign policy. He adds that while Netanyahu is preparing for a disastrous military operation in Rafah, an area designed as a safe hub, Biden is expressing his dissatisfaction without working to stop the war machine. The writer stresses that there will be several other opportunities for journalists to abandon the idea of Biden exerting any pressure on Israel, and if they want to hold Biden accountable, they must start now instead of continuing to promote the hollow fantasy about his anger and the wide breach between him and Netanyahu, time after time.