In the Tree brasserie off Herzl Street in Rehovot, there was much that almost everyone agreed on. Few contested that the ceasefire deal concluded by Iran and the US a few days earlier was very bad for Israel. “We were betrayed by President Trump,” said Avi Perez, 55.
They believed, too, that Israel, more than ever, was surrounded by danger that it would have to confront alone. “It is strange. One day we were in the [bomb] shelters with our children … The next day, everything is supposed to be normal. But nothing has been resolved,” said Shaham Nowick, 35.
Rehovot, 12 miles from Tel Aviv, has long been held up by pollsters as the epitome of “middle Israel”. Many Israelis believe the deal negotiated by the US with Iran is a betrayal. Commentators have condemned the deal as a surrender and a humiliation that was “even worse than Israel had feared”.
There is widespread concern not only that Iran will be able to rebuild stronger than before the conflict, but also that the agreement imposed in Lebanon will restrict Israel’s ability to combat Hezbollah. “Everyone living in Israel understands that Iran and Hezbollah are one and the same,” said Udi Tenne, a political strategic adviser.
In Metulla, a northern town metres from Lebanon, there was anger. “Everyone was very pleased with the war [against Iran] but the US agreement is really not good for Israel … It’s a big mistake,” said Daniel Dorfmann, a restaurateur. Others spoke of the “abject failure” of Israel to achieve its war aims of regime change, the destruction of Iran’s nuclear programme and the elimination of its ballistic missiles.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now faces the difficult challenge of convincing voters that only he can keep Israelis safe. Prof Tamar Hermann, a specialist in public opinion at the Israel Democracy Institute, said: “Netanyahu showed a kind of hubris in defining his aims so clearly. When you fail to achieve them, you are thought of as incapable of fulfilling your promises.”
