With six Israeli hostages dead, one of them a US citizen, and massive Israeli protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu raging in the country, a very public game of finger-pointing has ensued. Asked on Monday if Netanyahu was doing enough to secure the release of hostages still held by Hamas, President Joe Biden curtly answered, “No.” A stung Netanyahu struck back with his own public statement, reading out recent statements from US officials that praised Israel for working constructively toward an agreement and putting the onus on Hamas to accept its terms, insisting that Hamas was the real obstacle to a cease-fire and hostage-release deal. Who should we believe?

One answer is to listen to sources high up in government or involved in the talks from mediating countries like Egypt, the United States, and even Israel itself. For months, those voices have constantly told the media — often Israeli news outlets and establishment US newspapers exceedingly friendly to Israel — that the main obstacle to a cease-fire deal is Netanyahu himself, and that he has continuously inserted roadblocks and poison pills to sabotage negotiations as a way of staying in power.