The Iran Deal - David Dolan

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IT IS NOW BECOMING CLEAR that “The Deal” is indeed great, but mainly for Iran! So say a growing chorus of voices in Israel, both inside and outside the government. The police-state Shiite Muslim regime gets to immediately begin receiving frozen funds from foreign banks while selling its oil without sanctions, plus utilizing international banking systems, and all in exchange for a PROMISE to negotiate most of the outstanding issues over a period of sixty days, with absolutely no guarantee that any final resolutions will be achieved. With President Trump enthusiastically proclaiming that the war is over and the Strait of Hormuz open for all, it’s also clear he has no intention of ever going back to kinetic warfare unless something massive happens like the sinking of an American carrier, which is thankfully unlikely. 

Two statements made today from the Iranian regime and Hezbollah have increased the volume of criticism of PM Netanyahu, who reportedly asked to see the text before it was digitally signed on Sunday, but was turned down by the White House. Many don’t realize that the MOU is actually just a very short, 14 point, one and a half page outline of each side’s positions in upcoming negotiations, after the most important element to both sides, the reopening of normal sea traffic, including Iranian oil in and out of the Gulf, fully occurs late this week. 

Hezbollah’s leaders in Beirut said their Iranian masters have vowed not to sign any final accord unless it includes the full and immediate pullout of all IDF forces from Lebanon, with no disarming of the regime’s puppet frontline force. This echoed an earlier statement from the regime’s foreign minister that the IDF must cease all operations in Lebanon BEFORE a final “deal” will be signed. Simply too much blood, hardship and tears have been the lot of residents of northern Israel–be they Jews, Arabs, Druze, or whatever–for Bibi to just turn tail and run after Hezbollah launched its attacks one day after the horrendous Hamas Oct 7 massacre–now nearly 1000 days ago, leaving many Israelis homeless, dead or wounded, and everybody stressed. 

So all this means there is a high chance that Israel will be widely blamed if the rest of the “deal” does not pan out in the end, which would be made all the worse if the IRGC eventually re-closes Hormuz to all but Iranian traffic, which they can do in a heartbeat by simply attacking several oil tankers. Of course, among those already ominously blaming Israel for the near breakdown of the MOU process is Donald Trump, who again today said IDF action in Lebanon has “gone on too long” after Oct 7. He should be reminded that a ceasefire was agreed to in late 2004 and mostly kept, despite Hezbollah’s official opposition to it (this was after the pager blowups). The war only reignited in early March this year when Hezbollah’s masters told it to avenge the Ayatollah’s demise by re-opening attacks upon Israeli civilian centers, which it did and has been doing ever since despite Bibi’s calls for it to stay out of the renewed regional war.  

One other more personal point I feel compelled to make. Like millions of Israelis, I was not happy last week when Trump maintained that Bibi’s Beirut bombing of a specific office in south Beirut was overkill (another senior Hezbollah officer who killed Americans in Iraq was taken out). He noted that last week’s three day Hezbollah rocket and drone attack spree all across northern Israel “didn’t kill anyone” or “cause much damage,” and therefore shouldn’t have been forcefully responded to. Well, that’s partly true because many northern residents are still internal refugees somewhere further south, and the IDF has excellent defense systems. Still, northern Israel has been under indiscriminate attack for over three months now! That is not trivial. People have been killed and wounded. Last week a rocket damaged an apartment building in the northern city I called home for two years, Kiryat Shmona, and another exploded downtown. One should live a few weeks under the stress and trauma of such ongoing attacks amid wailing sirens, with frightened kids, etc. before saying it’s ‘not such a big deal’ to undergo three days and nights of unrelenting attacks after several months of the same. Just saying. 

Much prayer is still clearly very much needed for Israel and the region, where the spiritual battles are not going away, and probably not the kinetic ones as well. May Ha Shem use these tense and difficult days to open many hearts and minds to the Prince of Peace, Sar Shalom, who is returning as King of Kings to His capital city Jerusalem, which no power on earth can snatch from Him! Bo Yeshua!