Let us, for a moment, try to see the world as Donald Trump sees it. He may be driven by self-belief – or, perhaps, self-delusion – but he remains the leader of the supposedly free world. What he says, matters.

En passant, let us note that he remains indisputably the US Commander in Chief. It is to be hoped that the American system of military and diplomatic constraint continues to apply, particularly with regard to the nuclear launch protocol.

OK, that is extreme. I strive to believe that Mr Trump offers seemingly outlandish proposals in order to secure concessions. He is, after all, the author of a book called The Art of the Deal.

I also know that he is surrounded by advisers, both permanent and political, who strain to subdue some of his more extraordinary thoughts. Perhaps we can draw a comparison from literature, from the wonderful novel Scoop, by Evelyn Waugh.

In that fine work, Lord Copper is a dictatorial, hectoring newspaper magnate. His aides fear to contradict him as he scatters his views on every subject. If he is right, those aides enthusiastically assent.

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If, more commonly, he is utterly wrong, then they mutter: “Up to a point, Lord Copper.” I would imagine that comparable phrases are being regularly deployed in the White House at the moment.

Not sure whether Benjamin Netanyahu is a fan of Waugh’s work. But you could see a Lord Copper moment written on the Israeli Prime Minister’s face when Mr Trump stood next to him and came out with his proposals for Gaza. You know, as the evacuated Riviera of the Middle East.

You could see Bibi picturing the practical........

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