鈥榃e haven鈥檛 finished the job.鈥� Israelis question ceasefire 鈥� and their leaders.
| Tel Aviv, Israel
Eran Stepak sat at a coffee shop in the Ramat Aviv suburb of Tel Aviv, his dog Toy at his feet, adjusting to a quiet that had been absent for weeks.
Like many Israelis, he had spent long stretches in a safe room as missiles from Iran and its allies streaked toward the country.
鈥淭here is a huge relief that there are no missiles coming from Iran,鈥� he says. 鈥淥n the other hand, the problem has not been solved, just postponed. We hoped that after this war the existential threat would be removed, but that did not happen.鈥�
Why We Wrote This
In Israel, support for the war against Iran has been high. Civilians readily made sacrifices to support strategic aims. But the ceasefire has left many feeling the job was unfinished, and assessments of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu鈥檚 leadership have been harsh.
His ambivalence reflects a broader national mood following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire reached between the United States and Iran that halted six weeks of intense fighting. The truce has brought physical respite but little clarity, leaving Israelis balancing relief with deep uncertainty.
The ceasefire has also exposed a widening gap between Israel鈥檚 battlefield successes and its political outcomes. While military operations weakened Iran and its regional allies, many Israelis fear those gains have not brought lasting security 鈥� and merely set the stage for another round of conflict.
鈥淭he problem is that the [Israel Defense Forces鈥橾 victories were not translated into political gains, generating a deal that will bring quiet or at least no war,鈥� Mr. Stepak says. 鈥淎nd all of this after almost three years of war,鈥� which have not solved problems with Hamas or Hezbollah either, he adds.
鈥淧olitical disaster鈥�
Opposition politicians were quick to tap into the public鈥檚 frustration, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was to blame for a strategic failure.
鈥淣one of the goals were achieved: The nuclear program was not destroyed. The ballistic [missile] threat remains. The regime is still in place and even emerges from this war stronger. Iran holds enriched uranium, controls the Strait of Hormuz, and dictates the terms,鈥� , the leader of the Democrats party and a reserve major general in the army, wrote on X.
鈥淭here has never been such a political disaster in all of our history,鈥� wrote opposition leader , on X. 鈥淚srael wasn鈥檛 even at the table when decisions were made concerning the core of our national security.
鈥淭he military carried out everything that was asked of it, the public demonstrated amazing resilience, but Netanyahu failed politically, failed strategically, and didn鈥檛 meet a single one of the goals that he himself set,鈥� Mr. Lapid wrote. 鈥淚t will take us years to repair the political and strategic damage that Netanyahu wrought due to arrogance, negligence, and a lack of strategic planning.鈥�
The thousands of rockets and missiles that were fired at Israel from Iran and Lebanon since the Feb. 28 start of Operation Roaring Lion 鈥� Israel鈥檚 name for its assault on Iran 鈥� caused heavy damage. According to the Ynet news site, 30 civilians were killed, and homes and vehicles were damaged across the country. Twelve soldiers have been killed in fighting that continues in Lebanon.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think any Israeli feels any sense of victory right now,鈥� says political analyst Dahlia Scheindlin. 鈥淚sraelis, on the one hand, are extremely relieved to have some time without missile barrages, but also completely uncertain as to whether this is truly an end to the fighting.鈥�
Mr. Netanyahu has sought to frame the pause differently, signaling that Israel鈥檚 military campaign is not over.
鈥淭he State of Israel has achieved immense accomplishments, achievements that until recently seemed completely imaginary,鈥� he said. 鈥淚ran is weaker than ever, and Israel is stronger than ever.鈥�
There are still 鈥済oals to complete,鈥� he conceded, 鈥渁nd we will achieve them, either by agreement or by the resumption of fighting. ... Our finger is on the trigger.鈥�
Yet skepticism persists about meeting the goals, especially as Mr. Netanyahu had already hailed the 12-day war against Iran last June as having removed the existential threat posed by Iran, in a 鈥渉istoric victory鈥� that would stand for 鈥済enerations.鈥�
Unfavorable polls
A poll published on Thursday by Israel鈥檚 Channel 12 showed a majority of respondents, 53%, opposed the ceasefire with Iran, and 79% opposed a ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Of those polled, 45% said they believe that the war with Iran will be renewed within two weeks.
With parliamentary elections expected by October, other showed Mr. Netanyahu鈥檚 Likud party losing votes for now in the wake of the temporary ceasefire, though not enough for opposition parties to secure a majority.
Concerns about Israel鈥檚 strategic position extend beyond the battlefield. Analysts warn that the United States might not be at Israel鈥檚 side when the next round of conflict comes.
The growing perception in the U.S. that Mr. Netanyahu dragged America into an unnecessary war against Iran is jeopardizing Israel鈥檚 already low standing with the American public, warned Raz Zimmt, a director at the Institute for National Security Studies. Additionally, he wrote in an article on the Ynet website that perception 鈥減oses a significant challenge to [Israel鈥檚] ability to mobilize support in the future for a campaign against Iran.鈥�
Meanwhile, Israel鈥檚 ongoing strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon are threatening to undermine the already fragile ceasefire with Iran.
Among other conditions Iran has set for Saturday鈥檚 negotiations in Pakistan, it is insisting that Israel cease military operations in Lebanon. Under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, Mr. Netanyahu said on Thursday he agreed to peace talks with Lebanon, but would not halt the attacks. On Friday, it was reported that Mr. Trump wants a ceasefire before Israel-Lebanon talks begin in Washington next week.
President Trump, meanwhile, threatened to use unprecedented force if Iran does not comply with the terms of the ceasefire.
The negotiation gaps between the U.S. and Iran are so wide that 鈥淚 will not be surprised if in two weeks from today, we will find ourselves in another cycle, in another military campaign,鈥� Kobi Michael, a senior fellow at the Misgav Institute for National Security Studies and Zionist Strategy, said in a briefing.
Return to routines
For now, however, Israelis are embracing a tentative return to their regular routines. Beaches in Tel Aviv have been filled with visitors enjoying the spring weather. Schools have reopened, and commercial flights are gradually resuming.
Erez Gottlieb was walking his dog in a park in Ramat Aviv on Thursday after having slept through the night without alarms going off.
鈥淚t was nice to get to sleep again,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ut there are no clear wins in the wars these days, and the war will be back sooner or later. We haven鈥檛 finished the job.鈥�
鈥淣etanyahu is concerned by the public mood he is seeing and will do everything he can to change it,鈥� says Eran Etzion, a former deputy head of the National Security Council. 鈥淲e are already seeing signs of this in his refusal to agree to a ceasefire in Lebanon and his willingness to derail broader diplomatic arrangements.鈥�
He says Mr. Netanyahu needs the war to continue on multiple fronts and for as long as possible, because 鈥渢he moment the war ends and life returns to normal, he risks losing the next election.鈥�
President Trump and internal pressure within Israel could rein him in, Mr. Etzion adds. 鈥淚f Trump chooses to exert his influence, he has demonstrated in the past that he can do so decisively 鈥� even with a single phone call.鈥�
