
Israeli politicians from across the political spectrum sharply attacked President Donald Trump’s agreement with Iran on Monday, warning that the deal leaves major threats to Israel unresolved.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the agreement “bad for Israel and for the entire free world. Period,” and said Israel would need to “continue the campaign to topple the regime ourselves, in creative ways.” National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said, “Trump’s agreement does not bind us. Israel is not subordinate to the U.S.; we are an independent and sovereign state.” He added: “We are not partners to this agreement, which does not care for our security. We must not withdraw from any territory our fighters captured.”
Opposition lawmaker and the forefront challenger to Netanyahu Gadi Eisenkot said “the security and regional opportunity that Israel’s government was obligated to take was missed,” calling it “the sad result of a failed government” that acted “without strategy.” Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Israel’s war goals were “the complete and permanent dismantling of the nuclear program, regional terror and missiles, and removing 460 kilograms of enriched uranium from Iran.” He added: “These goals were not achieved,” calling the deal “a dangerous turn for Israel’s security.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said “the emerging agreement does not achieve any of Israel’s war goals,” arguing that “the regime survives, the missile program exists, and Iran can rebuild the nuclear program.” He called it “Netanyahu’s complete failure” and said Israel was becoming “a protectorate that receives instructions about its national security.”
Democrats chairman Yair Golan said Israeli citizens had awakened to “an agreement made over their heads,” and that “with one stroke of the pen, enormous military achievements were erased.”
As criticism mounted from both coalition and opposition figures, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not publicly commented on the agreement.