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[Trump also said that “Israel has done one thing very badly: public relations.”

“I don’t think that the Israel Defense Fund or any other group should be sending out pictures every night of buildings falling down and being bombed with possibly people in those buildings every single night, which is what they do,” he added.]

Netanyahu hiding materials in regard to the atrocities that show Hamas in a very bad light was disastrous for Israel’s image. From the first minute, reporters should have been given full access to every atrocity. Instead, to keep Israeli anger at a low ebb so as to save his own political hide, Netanyahu embargoed full access. This gave media everywhere, and their audiences, reason to doubt that the atrocities truly occurred. Friendly countries obviously back Israel, and unfriendly ones will never support it. But neutrals who saw Netanyahu’s endless delaying tactics and stage management are wondering how much is real and how much is fictional. That has implications for the level of international support for a harsh Israeli response. The consequence of Netanyahu’s stonewalling is that support is low and falling.