Israeli leaders across coalition and opposition reject emerging U.S.-Iran agreement
Israeli political leaders across both the governing coalition and the opposition on Monday voiced sharp criticism of an emerging U.S.-Iran agreement, warning it could undermine Israel’s security and highlighting widening political rifts over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s handling of the war.
Benny Gantz at the Jerusalem Day ceremony at Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem, June 5, 2024. Photo by Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90.
The U.S.-Iran agreement is expected to ease tensions between Washington and Tehran. However, critics in Israel argue that the framework falls short of dismantling Iran’s nuclear infrastructure or fully addressing its ballistic missile capabilities and could allow Tehran to retain significant strategic leverage in Lebanon.
Former military chief of staff and opposition Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot said the agreement reflected what he called a “failed government,” arguing there was “a vast gulf” between Netanyahu’s promises and the diplomatic outcome. Eisenkot also criticised the fact that Israelis were learning of the deal from foreign leaders rather than their own government.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads the far-right Religious Zionism party and sits in Netanyahu’s coalition, called the agreement “bad for Israel and for the entire free world. Period.” He said Israel must continue efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, while also insisting critics underestimate the pressures facing the government.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, another coalition partner from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, insisted that “Trump’s agreement does not bind us,” adding that Israel is “an independent and sovereign nation” and must not compromise on security threats from Hezbollah or Iran.
Yair Golan, leader of the Democratic Party, an opposition group on the left, accused Netanyahu of failing to protect Israel’s interests, saying the agreement erased military achievements and strengthened Iran’s regime. He said Netanyahu had become “good for Hamas, good for Iran, good for Hezbollah,” and called replacing him an “existential necessity.”
Benny Gantz, former defence minister and leader of the centrist Blue and White party, warned that any restriction on Israel’s freedom of action in Lebanon would be unacceptable and said the emerging deal could represent a “strategic failure” requiring long-term diplomatic and military efforts.
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who leads the centrist-right Unity party, said the government had failed to translate military gains into lasting security, arguing that Israel is capable of decisive wars but is currently trapped in prolonged conflict dynamics that could be resolved.
Meanwhile, Defence Minister Israel Katz insisted that Israeli soldiers would remain in security zones across Lebanon, Syria and Gaza “indefinitely.”
He said the zones would be “cleared of local residents” and that “all terrorist infrastructure, above and below ground” would be dismantled. He added that this would include the destruction of houses in border villages that, he said, had been used as terror outposts.
“This is the main lesson from the events of October 7,” Katz said.
The Israeli comments come on the heels of Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s announcement that an agreement between the U.S. and Iran to end the war had been reached, with a signing expected Friday in Switzerland.
U.S. President Donald Trump separately said he authorised steps to ease the blockade of Iran, which closed off the Strait of Hormuz. “Ships of the world, start your engines. Let the oil flow,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Israel must hold elections by October 27, the end of the current Knesset’s four-year term.
