They’re both fond of wearing bizarre makeup. Both face legal jeopardy at home, and they both took part in an illegal attack on Iran. Like the “brothers in arms” the Israeli leader wants the US president to think they are, Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu appear to bicker like siblings.

This is an appearance. Not reality. The relationship between the two leaders has been closer to that of an agent and his handler. It has always been “Bibi” who’s done the handling, and it is always The Don who has been handled. This has delivered unimagined benefits to Netanyahu, who, with the help of Trump acting against the advice of his own band of court loyalists, has reduced the US to a protector of Israel.

In his latest and most venomous swipe at the Israeli prime minister, Trump has reportedly said Netanyahu is “f***ing crazy” because of his apparent desire to apply the military doctrine that he used to flatten Gaza in the context of his new assault on Lebanon – a policy that, without doubt, will result in the mass evacuation of civilians.

Trump has used vulgarity in describing his frustration with his fellow “wartime leader” – a term he loves to use – but not because the destruction of Gaza was immoral and provoked accusations of genocide against Israel. He is angry because Israel’s war in Lebanon jeopardises his own attempts to get out of the joint US-Israeli campaign in Iran. Tehran’s leadership has refused ceasefire talks while Israel continues to bombard Lebanon, and refuses to rein in its proxy force there, Hezbollah.

Trump officials reportedly told the Axios news site that the US president had yelled at Netanyahu: “You’re f***ing crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me. I’m saving your ass. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this.”

A counter-briefing from Israel pushed back on the accuracy of the reference to prison, but felt no need to remonstrate on the accusation of madness.

Netanyahu has been indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity. In response, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on at least nine senior ICC staff members, and accused the international war crimes tribunal at The Hague of being a threat to national security.

In simple terms, Israel’s leader has been protected by Trump – no matter the international reputational damage to the US.

It is the domestic courts that Trump is referring to, though, when he talks of keeping Netanyahu out of jail. Netanyahu is on trial on a range of corruption charges. His cross-examination has frequently been postponed because of the conflicts Israel is locked into. If the reports of what Trump said to him are true, Trump is admitting that the attack on Iran was a personal favour to the Israeli leader.

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