The point of the latest “New York Times” report was to spread a rumor that Trump and Netanyahu are on a collision course.
Ruthie Blum
(JNS)
The New York Times deserves an award for treating wishful thinking as news—and getting away with it.
The paper’s latest such feat was an article on Tuesday titled: “White House Works to Preserve Gaza Deal Amid Concerns About Netanyahu,” with the subhead, “The Trump administration strategy is to try to keep Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel from resuming an all-out assault against Hamas, U.S. officials said.”
According to the story, which ran a few hours before Vice President JD Vance landed in Israel, “Several Trump officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, said there is concern within the administration that Mr. Netanyahu may vacate the deal.”
Referring to the presence of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, a senior advisor during the first Trump administration, and U.S. special envoy to the Mideast Steve Witkoff, who had arrived in Jerusalem on Monday, the piece went on, “The strategy now, the officials say, is for Mr. Vance, Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner to try to keep Mr. Netanyahu from resuming an all-out assault against Hamas.”
Really?
Given the statements from the aforementioned figures who have no problem revealing their identities, it’s no wonder that the sources cited by the Times—if they exist at all or are lowly bureaucrats without access to information of any value—wished to keep their names out of print.
Indeed, Trump has announced repeatedly, through every medium at his disposal, that if Hamas doesn’t disarm, the terrorist organization will face violent consequences. He even used the word “eradicate.”
Furthermore, in a post on Truth Social on Tuesday afternoon, he declared, “Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have explicitly and strongly, with great enthusiasm, informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and ‘straighten out Hamas’ if Hamas continues to act badly, in violation of their agreement with us. The love and spirit for the Middle East has not been seen like this in a thousand years! It is a beautiful thing to behold! I told these countries, and Israel, ‘NOT YET!’ There is still hope that Hamas will do what is right. If they do not, an end to Hamas will be FAST, FURIOUS, & BRUTAL!”
Less than two hours later, Vance, Witkoff and Kushner gave a joint press conference at the U.S. Army’s Civilian Military Coordination Center (CMSS) in Kiryat Gat in southern Israel. During the briefing, followed by questions from reporters, each presenter expressed optimism that the ceasefire/hostage-release/Gaza reconstruction plan will hold, albeit with ups and downs. And all three were upbeat about the Netanyahu-led government’s cooperation in implementing the plan.
But the Times doesn’t care and won’t retract its words since the point of the report wasn’t to present facts gleaned from reliable spokespeople. Rather, it was to highlight the ongoing false narrative about a simmering rift between Jerusalem and Washington—or more specifically, to spread a rumor that Netanyahu and Trump are on a collision course.
Naturally, Netanyahu’s naysayers at home and abroad are positively giddy at this prospect. That they keep facing disappointment on this score is not merely amusing; it helps explain the political implosion of the Israeli left.
Now, Trump and Netanyahu may well be headed for a dispute over the role of Qatar and Turkey in the rehabilitation and post-war governance of Gaza. So far, however, the U.S.-Israel relationship is as strong as ever. Ditto for the mutual respect between the two leaders who drive their detractors crazy.
Image: U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers a statement to the media alongside U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Kiryat Gat, Israel, Oct. 21, 2025. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.