Escalating Rivalries: Trump Faces Israeli Anger Over Controversial Iran Deal

The diplomatic rift between the United States, Israel, and Iran has reached a boiling point, with many in Israel left reeling from the terms of the contentious interim deal signed between the US and Iran.

The US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed in secret without apparent Israeli involvement, has been met with fierce criticism from Israeli politicians, media outlets, and the general public.

At the heart of the controversy lies the broad terms of the agreement, which, among other provisions, require all fighting to cease immediately and both sides to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon – a condition that many Israelis see as a betrayal.

Hagai Ram, a Ben Gurion University professor and author of the book 'Iranophobia: The Logic of an Israeli Obsession,' noted that until recently, President Donald Trump had been a wildly popular figure in Israel.

'He's now turned into a villain,' Ram pointed out, attributing this shift to a deep-seated 'phobia' and an 'all-encompassing sense of American betrayal of Israel'.

The US's long-standing alliance with Israel is generally regarded as one of the closest in modern world history. From playing a critical role in the establishment of the Israeli state in 1948 to backing the country through numerous conflicts and its frequent disregard for international law in treating the Palestinian people, particularly its decades-long blockade and attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Despite previous spats, the current dispute over the terms of the MoU appears to be unprecedented. Many Israelis view Iran as their country's arch-nemesis and the war against it as an existential crisis. They feel abandoned by the US, their traditional and closest ally.

The MoU's provision requiring all fighting to cease, including the offensive launched against Lebanon in early March, as well as the commitment to respect Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty, has failed to resonate well with the Israeli public.

A Channel 12 TV poll on Thursday revealed a stark shift in opinion, with only 11% of Israelis feeling their country had 'won' the war launched by the US and Israel against Iran, contrasting sharply with the 71% that now doubt the Trump administration's ability to safeguard their interests.

Fuelled by Netanyahu's reluctance to publicly condemn the MoU, and instead, choosing to continue attacking Lebanon, the situation appears to be escalating further.

On Saturday, Israel's continued aggression led to Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that has previously been credited with bringing the US President to the negotiating table.

Political analysis expert Ori Goldberg framed the current situation as not a mere 'spat' but a 'rift.'

Goldberg pointed out that US criticisms of Israel aren't based on sudden 'insight,' but rather, the facts have 'become unavoidable.'

Goldberg also noted that the US and Israel 'pulled them into a war and Netanyahu did manipulate Trump.' The analyst's statement appears to echo the sentiments of Hagai Ram and others who feel that the Israeli government has played a significant role in escalating tensions and pushing the US towards more aggressive actions against Iran.

Former Israeli ambassador and consul general Alon Pinkas also weighed in on the situation, highlighting the dual role of the current conflict in both the US-Israel relationship and within Israeli politics.

Pinkas suggests that there are two groups: the 'Trump cultists' desperately searching for someone to blame for Trump's entanglement in the war, and the 'Netanyahu followers,' who are also trapped in a war they cannot escape and a US agreement with a supposedly more powerful Iran than that negotiated under former President Barack Obama.

As Pinkas notes, the agreement is 'bad because it was a bad war. One always follows the other.'