Published : 15 Jun 2026, 11:30 AM
Israelis across the political spectrum have expressed broad discontent over the emerging US-Iran ceasefire agreement, with criticism intensifying even before the full details of the deal are known, The New York Times reports.
The sentiment was reflected in the headline of Sunday’s Yediot Aharonot, a popular Hebrew daily, which summed up the reaction in two words: “Bad Deal”.
The American daily said Israel is being left out of the potential peace framework, despite having waged two wars against Iran in the past year, including a joint campaign launched with US forces in late February.
Even before the formal announcement emerged that a ceasefire agreement had been reached, leaked details in the news media had already prompted a flood of fierce criticism from Israeli citizens and political figures alike, it added.
The initial “memorandum of understanding” requires Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping route for the global economy, in exchange for the United States lifting its maritime blockade on Iranian ports.
The temporary ceasefire that both sides originally agreed to in April will be extended for 60 days, during which period Washington and Tehran commit to holding detailed negotiations over the Iranian nuclear programme and the lifting of US economic sanctions.
That would fall far short of the goals that Israel set at the start of the two wars.
At the outset, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the objective was "to remove the existential threats" to Israel -- meaning destroying any nuclear threat from Iran and its ballistic missile programme, as well as "creating the conditions" for the Iranian people to topple the government.
The Israelis had also demanded an end to Tehran's support of its proxy forces “hostile to Israel”, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen, as well as support for Hamas in Gaza.