'Israel frustrated by Trump’s Iran backtrack'

Conflicts Forum’s compilation of consequential observations & strategic developments in Israel, 19 January 2026

Amidst a power struggle in US admin around Trump, Witkoff managed to convince Trump not to attack Iran /

‘Israeli hypocrisy knows no limits. Moments ago, Israelis were cheering on a holocaust in Gaza; now they dare to celebrate the uprising of the Iranian people’ (972 Magazine) /

Is Trump appeasing Iran or preparing the next blow? /

Netanyahu completes his takeover of the top echelons of Shin Bet /

New Knesset bill annuls the law thereby enabling the abolition of Netanyahu’s trial /

Yair Netanyahu officially takes the reins of Likud — Appointed member of Likud Central Committee

[These compilations are drawn from analysis & commentary by leading Israeli political, social and cultural commentators, predominantly published in Hebrew — as reports published in Hebrew often provide a different window on Israeli internal discourse].

Amidst a power struggle in the US admin around Trump, Witkoff managed to convince Trump not to attack Iran (Eli Leon & Anna Barsky, Ma’ariv - leading Israeli daily)

A power struggle is underway within the American administration around Trump, [with] the Iranian issue at its center … A senior Iranian official told Al-Jazeera [on 15 Jan] that Trump conveyed a clear message to Tehran that he has no intention of taking military action against Iran … despite the bellicose rhetoric and public threats, there have been behind-the-scenes contacts between Washington and Tehran … The person who handled the contact on behalf of the Americans was Trump’s senior envoy, Witkoff, who worked with senior Iranian officials. As part of the talks, a formula was agreed upon that would allow Trump to back down from the threat of attack, without appearing to give in to pressure or to fail to keep his promise: the President would claim that his threats led Iran to stop killing protesters and to cease executions … Indeed, in his speech [on 14 Jan] Trump said ... that he had received an update that the suppression of the protests had ended and that no further executions were expected — wording that, according to sources on both sides, corresponds to the understandings reached in the secret talks …

Two main groups are operating around Trump: One, the hawkish camp, including Rubio, is pressing for military action, and the other - a more separatist-pragmatic camp, including figures like Witkoff, is warning against military entanglement, preferring to exert political and economic pressure. For now, it seems that the camp opposing the attack had the upper hand … Rubio himself is not involved in the negotiations with the Iranians. According to sources, Trump prefers to entrust the management of sensitive channels to businessmen and figures who are not identified with the classic diplomatic establishment — part of his worldview … [Trump] continues to enjoy the ability to keep the world on edge. For him, the very threats, even if they are not implemented, create pressure on Tehran and convey a message of unpredictability - an element that Trump consistently uses.

Israel ‘frustrated’ by Trump’s Iran backtrack — “It would only take one more push” (Ben Caspit):

Israeli officials, convinced that Trump had planned to order a strike on Iran on [14-15 Jan], are now assessing why he backed down, with the possibilities ranging from concerns about the prospects of success at this time to a strategy of lulling Iranian leaders into a false sense of confidence to improve the prospects of success for a later strike. “There is a rumor going around that the Red Head [code name for Trump] just called to update that it won’t be happening tonight,” a highly placed source [said] ... [Later] the New York Times reported ... that the two leaders had spoken [the night of 14 Jan], with Netanyahu urging Trump to hold off on striking Iran to allow him to prepare Israeli defenses for possible Iranian reprisals … A CNN report on [16 Jan] alleged Israeli concerns over the state of its anti-missile defense after its extensive use during the [June] 12-day war …

Israeli leaders and security chiefs long resented earlier US administrations’ reluctance to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, arguing that a global power was better equipped than Israel to manage the fallout. In their view, Israel should take a back seat … Following Trump’s apparent de-escalation in recent days, Israel, like the rest of the world, is trying to fathom [Trump’s] thinking on Iran … Netanyahu may now find himself on the verge of achieving a goal he has pursued for three decades ... yet still unable to take the final step. After coming so close, the remaining obstacles appear political rather than strategic, underscoring the limits of his freedom of action at this late stage. “We are at the closest we have ever been to getting there,” a senior Israeli diplomatic source [said] ... “It would only take one more push, and it’s frustrating that at the moment it’s impossible to give this push” … An Israeli security source [said] … “When he realized that the chances of success of this attack were not high, he preferred to postpone it. Trump is a winner. His big nightmare is to be a loser”.

‘Israeli hypocrisy knows no limits. Moments ago, Israelis were cheering on a holocaust in Gaza; now they dare to celebrate the valiant uprising of the Iranian people’ (Orly Noy, 972 Magazine):

In Israel, like everywhere else around the world, the Iranian uprising has taken over the headlines and much of the public discourse — not only because of the implications that these developments, or a possible U.S. attack, would have for Israel, but also because the demonstrations give the Israeli public an opportunity to “stand on the right side” and restore their image, both to themselves and to the world. When I see Jewish Israelis who only a moment ago were supporting the barbaric genocide of the Palestinians of Gaza — with all their might, with measured enthusiasm, or with a shrug of the shoulders and a “That’s how it is in war” — now celebrating the valiant uprising of the Iranian people, the nausea shakes me to my core. Is there a more insolent collective on earth than the Zionist one? After yawning in the face of babies starving to death and the bombing of entire neighborhoods, and still exhibiting total indifference to the ongoing suffering in the Strip, they now dare to talk about a cruel regime? About a struggle for liberation? About democracy? About freedom? I see Israelis shaking their heads self-righteously about the fact that no one knows the real number of victims among the protesters in Iran. Do they know the real number of victims of the Gaza holocaust? Do they even care?