A striking black-and-white image released by the White House shows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a desk in the Oval Office, with US President Donald Trump holding the phone in his lap as Netanyahu appears to read from a sheet of paper. The optics are unmistakable: it invites scrutiny over whether the apology Netanyahu made to Qatar was scripted and whether the image was also a deliberate message in power dynamics.

Several reports suggest the call was not entirely spontaneous. Officials say Trump pushed the call during his meeting with Netanyahu, demanding an explanation for a recent Israeli strike in Doha that killed five people, including the son of a Hamas official.

The fact that Netanyahu seems to be reading from a document while on the call provides further grounds for

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