‘It’s a big mistake’: Israelis feel betrayed and angry after Iran peace deal

I n 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, as he studied the menu. Rehovot, 12 miles from Tel Aviv, has long been held up by pollsters as the epitome of “middle Israel”, if such a thing exists in such a diverse and divided country. Rows of Israeli and pride flags flew on major streets, loud rave music blasted on one street corner, Orthodox Jewish men gathered on another, and weekend traffic built up around construction sites for a new bus system. Some had come to the brasserie for a break from the news, which on Friday morning was dominated by headlines about renewed fighting in Lebanon , where Israeli forces had launched waves of airstrikes, killing 18 people and wounding 33, after Hezbollah, which has close links to Iran, had killed four Israeli soldiers, including a senior officer, in an attack on a tank. Many Israelis believe the deal negotiated by the US with Iran is a betrayal. …