The Knesset has never seen a day like it; a US president taking the podium to unilaterally declare a new “golden age” for Israel and the Middle East.

Benjamin Netanyahu looked tense and drawn throughout Mr Trump’s hour-long speech in Jerusalem on Monday. There were smiles, of course, but there was no joy in his face.

It’s not hard to see why. He’s stuck between a Trumpian rock and an extremist hard place of his own making. He also faces corruption and war crimes charges, plus elections next year.

Flanking him in the Knesset were Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, the two extremist, ethno-nationalist ministers he relies on to keep his government afloat.

They do not want peace and have made no secret of it. They want a greater Israel, one that encompasses all of Gaza and the West Bank.

This is why they voted against Mr Trump’s 20-point peace deal last week, even though it cleared the way for the release of Israel’s hostages after two years of war.

“Immediately after the abductees return home, the state of Israel must continue to strive with all its strength to fully eradicate Hamas and completely demilitarise Gaza so that it no longer poses a threat to Israel,” Mr Smotrich said.