Last Tuesday at the United Nations, two men stood at the same podium, hours apart, and told two very different stories about the same war. President Donald Trump said his administration had ended the fighting in Gaza and brought the hostages home. French President Emmanuel Macron, delivering his farewell address before stepping down next spring, called the whole thing a spectacle that should shame us all.

He banged his fist on the rostrum for emphasis. It made for good television. It also happened to be out of date.