Charm offensive: Netanyahu presenting Trump with a letter nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize during a dinner at the White House last week. — Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times
THE flattery was as obvious as it was effective. Seated at a dinner table in the Blue Room of the White House last Monday, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu handed US president Donald Trump a piece of paper.
“I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee,” Netanyahu said, with the news cameras rolling to capture the moment. “It’s nominating you for the Peace Prize. It’s well deserved, and you should get it.”
