Less than a week after the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding ending the three-month US-Israeli war on Tehran, Israeli public opinion has delivered a clear verdict. A new poll reveals that 92% of Israelis believe the US has squandered their victory over a decades-old enemy, with nearly half saying Israel should continue attacks on Lebanon and Hezbollah despite Washington's urging.

Since the surprise Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,139 people, Israel has waged continuous wars across the region. It has committed genocide in Gaza, killing over 73,000 Palestinians and destroying vast areas. Israel has struck Iran twice, killed thousands in Lebanon, launched ground incursions into Syria, and attacked Houthi targets in Yemen.

In Israel's fractious parliament, support for the wars is a rare point of consensus. Former chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot described the Iran strikes as "the most just war in recent decades." Opposition leader Yair Lapid called the US-Iran deal "one of the most shocking failures of Israeli foreign policy."

Sociologist Daniel Bar-Tal of Tel Aviv University said the reaction is unsurprising, as Israeli society has linked the Hamas attack to the Holocaust, reinforcing a sense of collective victimhood and delegitimization of Palestinians. This narrative has fueled support for the wars.

Despite nearly three years of constant war, few Israelis believe the country is significantly more secure. Hamas still controls parts of Gaza, and the Iranian government remains steadfast. Analyst Shaiel Ben-Ephraim identified two drivers: the trauma of October 7 and Prime Minister Netanyahu's political interests.

Ben-Ephraim argued that Netanyahu uses the war to avoid accountability for corruption charges and the October 7 failure. Israel's military doctrine, focused on preemptively crushing threats, makes future wars almost certain. "This is a pathology born of trauma and political need," he concluded.

Source: www.aljazeera.com