US President Donald Trump says the agreement his administration just signed with Iran can be seen as an “unconditional surrender.” Nearly all Israelis disagree, according to a survey conducted by the Hebrew University.
While not all details of the memorandum of understanding have been published, Iran’s continued refusal to halt its nuclear program, reduce its missile arsenal, cut ties with Hezbollah, and relinquish control of the Strait of Hormuz is seen as a major blow for the United States and its allies.
There is no question that American and Israeli military forces dominated the Islamic Republic during the course of the recent armed conflict. But the regime persevered, and continues to successfully leverage threats to destabilize the region and the global economy to achieve its interests.
The most glaring example of this is Tehran’s ability to compel the Trump administration to accept a ceasefire in Lebanon as an integral part of the deal, thus saving its proxy Hezbollah from destruction. Trump had originally insisted that Lebanon was separate matter and would not be linked to his arrangement with Iran.
Given this, an overwhelming 92.1% said they have to concede that under present circumstances, Iran won the war.
Even among supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc, 93.1% told the Hebrew U. pollsters that Iran had emerged the victor.
A similarly large majority (87.8%) believes Israel failed to achieve all its military objectives (ie. the war was halted prematurely), and that by allowing the ayatollah regime to survive with its main weapons intact (thousands of ballistic missiles and a regional network of terrorist proxies) Operation Roaring Lion and Operation Epic Fury had only served to make the Islamic Republic more dangerous.
A 56.4% majority of respondents blamed Netanyahu for failing to more vigorously press Israel’s interests, and rated his management of the war as “failed” or “poor.”
Given where things currently stand, a 48.2% plurality said Israel must stand firm on Lebanon and continue to prosecute its war against Hezbollah, even at the risk of angering Trump. Just 20.9% disagreed and 30.9% were unsure.
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