Anger and surprise in Israel after US-Iran ceasefire
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Nadav Rapaport
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Wed, 04/08/2026 - 13:37
Politicians, commentators and analysts slam agreement as ‘complete failure’
People pass by an impact site, which is wrapped in a large Israeli flag, in the aftermath of missile attacks launched from Iran into Israel on Monday on 7 April 2026 (Reuters/Florion Goga)
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The ceasefire agreed between the United States and Iran has been met with anger and sharp criticism in Israel.
Politicians, commentators and analysts were quick to condemn the framework, with many blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for what they described as a failure.
“There has never been such a diplomatic disaster in our entire history,” opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on Wednesday on X.
Lapid added that “Israel was not even at the table when decisions were made concerning the core of our national security.”
The leader of the centrist Yash Atid party, who supported that war from its onset and called on Israel and the US to bomb Iran's Kharg Island, hailed the Israeli military for carrying out "everything that was asked of it" and the "remarkable resilience" of the Israeli public.
However, Lapid said that "Netanyahu failed diplomatically, failed strategically, and did not meet a single one of the goals he himself set.
"It will take us years to repair the diplomatic and strategic damage that Netanyahu has caused due to arrogance, negligence, and a lack of strategic planning," he added.
Yair Golan, leader of the left-leaning Democrats party, said the Israeli prime minister "lied" to the public as he went to war on Iran.
"He promised a ‘historic victory’ and security for generations, but in practice we received one of the most stark strategic failures Israel has ever known," Golan wrote on X.
'Donald, you came out looking like a duck'
- Tzvika Foghel, Israeli MP
Golan, a former army general who voiced support for the war on Iran, hailed the army for achieving great results with its strikes in Iran, but said that Netanyahu's government "once again failed to translate them into victory".
Golan lamented the loss of civilian and soldiers' lives, as none of Netanyahu's objectives at the beginning of the war had materialised.
Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes remain intact, he said, with the country “emerging from this war stronger”.
"This is not a ‘historic victory'," the former general said, adding that "this is a complete failure that endangers Israel’s security for years to come."
Avigdor Liberman, leader of the right-wing opposition party Israel Beytenu, also criticised the ceasefire as the agreement "means we will have to return to another round of fighting under more difficult conditions and pay a heavier price".
Most members of Netanyahu’s coalition have yet to comment, as they are observing the Passover holiday. However, Tzvika Foghel of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party lashed out at US President Donald Trump.
“Donald, you came out looking like a duck,” Foghel wrote on X, before later deleting the post.
Media turns on Netanyahu
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan 11 reported that the government did not expect Trump’s announcement.
"We were surprised by Trump’s decision. We received updates at the last minute when everything already seemed finalised," a senior Israeli official told Kan 11.
The Prime Minister’s Office issued its first response around four hours after Trump’s announcement, saying Israel supported the US president’s decision to “suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks”.
It added that the ceasefire did not include Lebanon, contradicting statements by mediator Pakistan.
Is Lebanon part of the Iran war ceasefire?
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Before Trump’s announcement, Channel 13 News had been running a countdown to the US president’s deadline for Iran to make a deal or see “a whole civilisation die”.
By Wednesday morning, however, much of the Israeli mainstream media had turned critical of Netanyahu after weeks of largely backing the war effort.
“We were promised otherwise: once again, Netanyahu caved to Trump,” wrote Gili Cohen, Kan 11’s diplomatic correspondent.
According to Cohen, the latest agreement marks the second time Trump has dictated the timing of the end of a war with Iran, following a similar episode in June last year.
At the outset of the war in February, Netanyahu had promised regime change in Iran and the dismantling of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
“None of these objectives has been fully achieved,” Cohen wrote.
"In the Middle East, the temporary often becomes permanent. After two and a half years of war, it is becoming clear that the new reality is not only an Israeli ground presence in Syria, Lebanon, and Gaza, but also periodic direct confrontation with Iran," she said.
'41 days of fighting and 5,000 destroyed structures [in Israel] ended in a decisive Iranian victory'
- Avi Ashkenazi, military affairs commentator
Military affairs commentator Avi Ashkenazi said that “41 days of fighting and 5,000 destroyed structures [in Israel] ended in a decisive Iranian victory”.
Writing in the right-leaning Ma’ariv newspaper, he added that “the Iranians managed to lead Israel and the United States into an agreement that contains elements of capitulation on the Israeli and American side, rather than on Iran’s”.
Ashkenazi pointed to the deaths of dozens of soldiers and civilians, as well as the economic damage inflicted by Iran and Hezbollah, as the cost of the campaign.
Amos Harel, military analyst at Haaretz, similarly said Israel’s war aims had not been achieved and that the country had suffered significant losses.
Among other damages and losses, Harel said that "Israel’s standing in the United States has been significantly harmed, and it is expected to face accusations of having dragged President Donald Trump into an unnecessary war."
"Netanyahu may even have reason to be concerned about the future of his relationship with Trump," Harel added, noting that the US president does not like to lose and may view Netanyahu as responsible for the failed joint campaign.
War on Iran
Tel Aviv, Israel
'Capitulation': Anger and surprise in Israel after US-Iran ceasefire
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