Israeli opposition leaders accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday of failing to achieve the war’s objectives and deceiving the public following the ceasefire announcement with Iran, though some softened their tone Thursday after Netanyahu announced direct talks with Lebanon over Hezbollah disarmament.

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, widely seen as the leading challenger to Netanyahu in upcoming elections, held a press conference Wednesday evening laying out the war’s unfulfilled objectives: the complete and permanent dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program, regional terror infrastructure, and missile capabilities, along with the removal of 460 kilograms of enriched uranium from Iranian territory.

“The campaign will be judged solely by meeting these goals, because failure will leave Israel facing a more vengeful and determined Iran,” Bennett said, arguing that public disappointment over the ceasefire stemmed from the government having “sold illusions” rather than telling Israelis the truth.

“Unfortunately, as every child can see, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran are still standing,” he added. “This is because a government that is tearing Israel apart from within cannot defeat the enemy from without.”

Bennett’s remarks came directly after Netanyahu said at his own press conference Wednesday that Israel remained in the process of achieving all its war goals despite the ceasefire.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid was equally critical, calling the ceasefire “the greatest political disaster in all of our history” and asserting that Israel had been excluded from key national security decisions. Netanyahu, Lapid said, “failed politically, failed strategically, and didn’t meet a single one of the goals that he himself set.”

Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats, said Netanyahu should have “stood before the nation, admitted the failure of his strategy, and announced his immediate resignation.” Instead, Golan said, “what appeared tonight was a skilled salesman and a failed strategist, armed with a pile of spin, half-truths, and lies.” Former IDF chief of staff and Yashar! Party leader Gadi Eisenkot said Netanyahu had failed to translate military gains into a political arrangement. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman added Thursday that Israel could not end the war without a decisive outcome.

The tone shifted for some opposition figures after Netanyahu announced Thursday that his cabinet would open direct ceasefire and disarmament talks with Lebanon. Both Golan and Eisenkot welcomed the move.

“Thanks to Trump for forcing Netanyahu to take action,” Golan said. “Reality once again proves what we have always said — political agreements are the way to bring true security to Israel.” Eisenkot called on the government to leverage its military achievements “into an agreement that will lead to the complete dismantling and disarmament of Hezbollah and return full responsibility to the Lebanese government.”

Government ministers pushed back hard on the opposition’s criticism. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich argued the war was not over and its objectives could still be achieved, accusing opposition leaders of competing for the title of “who weakens Israel more.” Education Minister Yoav Kisch asked Bennett, Lapid, and Golan whether they were “tired of pumping out defeatism that echoes the enemy’s media.” Culture Minister Miki Zohar called their remarks “irresponsible populism” and said both Bennett and Lapid had proved themselves unfit for leadership.

Lapid fired back at Zohar, saying the true peak of populism was “going to war, failing to achieve any of its objectives, causing an unprecedented political and diplomatic disaster, and then blaming Lapid and Bennett for noticing it.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)