Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats Party, said in a post on the social media platform X that “this is a difficult morning for Israel”.
“Israeli citizens woke up this morning to an agreement between the United States and Iran that was reached while bypassing Israel,” Golan wrote.
He argued that, “with a single signature”, US President Donald Trump had signed an agreement that effectively offered Iran a lifeline, while Netanyahu was left “standing on the sidelines, powerless, ill, isolated and ineffective”.
Golan described the situation as the culmination of years of failure, stating that “Netanyahu has become the father of the greatest strategic failure in Israel’s history”.
Accusing the Israeli premier of damaging Israel’s alliances and leaving the country isolated at a critical moment, Golan added:
“Netanyahu is good for Hamas, Iran and Hezbollah. Netanyahu is not good for Israel. Replacing him is not merely a political necessity; it is an existential security necessity.”
‘Netanyahu has lost confidence’
Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the opposition Yashar Party and a former chief of staff of the Israeli military, also criticised the agreement in a statement posted on X, describing the US-Iran deal as “contrary to Israel’s interests”.
Eisenkot said Netanyahu had lost the confidence of both the Israeli public and the country’s allies.
He noted that the prime minister had been unable to address the public directly and that Israelis had learned of the agreement through statements made by foreign leaders.
‘A strategic failure’
Benny Gantz, leader of the opposition Blue and White Party, stated on X that under no circumstances should Israel accept restrictions on, or a withdrawal from, its military presence in Lebanon.
Gantz argued that the US-Iran agreement appeared to constitute a strategic failure that would require Israel to engage in political, military and legal struggles for years to come.
Several members of Netanyahu’s cabinet have also voiced strong reservations about the agreement.
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich described the understanding reached between Washington and Tehran as “bad for Israel”.
Defence Minister Yisrael Katz stated that, regardless of the agreement, the Israeli military would continue to maintain an open-ended presence in territories it currently occupies in southern Lebanon, Syria and Gaza.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also reacted strongly to the agreement, declaring:
“Trump’s agreement does not bind us. Israel is not a colony or subject of the United States.”
