Two days ago an attack in Gaza killed 875 Palestinians attempting to get food at aid stations, according to the United Nations. The U.S. government has voiced concern about the Palestinian American beaten to death in the West Bank by Israeli settlers. But the 58,000 Palestinians now said to be dead from this war aren’t getting nearly as much attention as they should.

The New York Times last week published a comprehensive and disturbing account of all that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has done to stay in power. Intentionally prolonging the war is at the top of that list, complete with allegedly altering recordings and encouraging the leaking of classified information to tamp down on criticism of his handling of the war. The relative silence of the mainstream news media helps enable the Israeli leader to engage in further military campaigns around the region with minimal commentary and no consequences. Last month, it was bombing Iran; last night it was bombing Syria, allegedly to protect and defend a religious sect called the Druze.

Where is the permanent ceasefire? Where is the peace?

If the Times piece is correct, Bibi has done what he set out to do. His chances of actually getting reelected instead of punished for the intelligence failure that enabled the attack of October 7, 2023, in the first place, have risen considerably. If the U.S. president can’t maintain a decent approval rating through delivering on conspiracy theory promises, he may want to try pressuring Netanyahu as much as he’s now pressuring Putin. Even that may not preserve his poll numbers, but it may finally preserve lives.