Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday formally nominated U.S. President Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize—while Israeli warplanes, backed by unwavering American support, continued to rain destruction on the besieged Gaza Strip.

The nomination came during Netanyahu’s high-profile visit to the White House, where he met with President Trump to discuss a proposed temporary ceasefire brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. While the two leaders exchanged smiles and symbolic gestures, the reality on the ground in Gaza told a vastly different story: more civilian casualties, destroyed homes, and deepening humanitarian catastrophe.

“He’s forging peace as we speak,” Netanyahu declared as he presented Trump with a nomination letter addressed to the Nobel Committee, citing Trump’s role in normalizing ties between “Israel” and a number of Arab regimes under the so-called Abraham Accords.

But far from forging peace, the Netanyahu-Trump meeting highlighted the stark hypocrisy of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. As the Trump administration continues to supply billions in military aid to Israel, including the delivery of bombs and artillery used in Gaza, Trump’s nomination is seen by critics as a grotesque attempt to whitewash U.S. complicity in a war international observers have described as genocidal.

According to human rights organizations and U.N. agencies, the Israeli assault on Gaza—now in its 21st month—has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, the majority of them women and children. Entire neighborhoods have been flattened, hospitals reduced to rubble, and aid convoys routinely obstructed. Still, Washington has provided not only weapons, but diplomatic cover for Israel at the United Nations and other international bodies.

Adding to the drama surrounding the visit, a group of Jewish rabbis staged a protest outside the White House during Netanyahu’s arrival. Holding placards reading “Netanyahu is a War Criminal” and “Return All Occupied Palestinian Lands,” the rabbis condemned the Israeli prime minister’s role in the war and denounced the ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories.

The demonstration underscored the growing rift between Zionist political leadership and segments of Jewish communities worldwide who are increasingly speaking out against the brutalization of Palestinians.

“Trump and Netanyahu talk about peace while bombs fall on children in Gaza,” said one protester. “This is not peace. It’s genocide, funded and protected by the U.S. government.”

Observers see Netanyahu’s Nobel nomination for Trump as a calculated PR maneuver—a distraction from mounting global outrage over Israel’s actions in Gaza and a bid to bolster Trump’s political standing ahead of upcoming elections.

As Gaza continues to suffer under siege, the spectacle in Washington serves as a bitter reminder of the deep moral disconnect between political elites and the people whose lives are being destroyed by their decisions. Far from celebrating peace, Netanyahu and Trump’s meeting marked another low point in the ongoing erasure of Palestinian life—with Washington’s full blessing. (ILKHA)