Commentary

Israel’s lesson is that sovereignty matters most at the moment of decision: coalitions, Washington, and Europe are important, but none of them controls the final call. That responsibility ultimately rests with Jerusalem.

What message does Washington send to its allies if it implies that a powerful partner such as Israel is so vulnerable that it must accept every demand made by its protector?

Trump can say "enough" and sever the link between Hormuz and Lebanon. He almost did so when he threatened to "destroy Iran" if it did not rein in Hezbollah. Further insults to Iran could bring the talks crashing down.

The US president’s “good friend” is in fact a great friend of Hamas, directing attacks against us. It is time for Israel, too, to formally define as an enemy someone who defines us as one. 

American pressure and the battle over Hezbollah’s future have placed Lebanon at the heart of the negotiations between Washington and Tehran. Israel must now choose between preserving its alliance with the US and meeting its security needs. 

Trump’s capitulation to Iran has left Israel and Israelis deeply distressed. The world is now embracing a state whose ideology calls for “wiping the Zionist entity off the face of the earth.” Those words have been backed by actions. It was only by chance that Iran did not achieve that goal on Oct. 7, 2023. And yet Vice President JD Vance did not even demand that his new friends in Tehran stop using the slogans “Great Satan” and “Little Satan.” Has he forgotten the basics? What is going on here? 

The forced ceasefire finds the IDF in exposed forward positions, with its hands tied for fear of Trump's wrath, while Israel's enemies see the weakness and intensify their fire. Attempts to achieve results by force alone, without attainable goals or transparency with the public, are crashing into the reality on the ground. With 24 soldiers killed since the "agreement," Israel is being dragged into the worst of all worlds and reviving the trauma of the old Lebanon security zone.

In a special column, the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina writes Israel Hayom about the shared memory with the Jewish people, the parallel struggles, and the need to withstand international pressure while preserving sovereignty and identity.

History shows that Israeli concessions in the face of Iranian threats lead to demands being escalated, not to calm. In the Middle East, and certainly when dealing with the regime in Tehran, giving up freedom of action out of risk of escalation is not seen as an act of responsibility.

We are entitled to be angry with the American president. We are entitled to feel disappointed. But anger is not a strategy, and disappointment is not a substitute for self-examination. Neither relieves us of the responsibility to confront our own decisions and mistakes.