Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was right to condemn Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir after the latter reportedly called for all of Lebanon to “burn”. Such words are not the ramblings of an anonymous extremist hiding behind a social media account. They come from a serving minister in a state that has spent the last several years devastating Gaza and now continues to expand its military aggression across the region. For many around the world, Ben-Gvir’s remarks merely confirm what Israel’s conduct has already demonstrated. After more than two and a half years of relentless destruction in Gaza, Israel appears unwilling to abandon a strategy rooted in military force and collective punishment. As if the horrors inflicted upon Palestinians were not enough, Lebanon has increasingly become the latest target of Israeli aggression, with fresh air strikes continuing even as reports emerged of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah. Even as the Pakistan-brokered much-needed peace deal between Iran and the US was being finalised, Israeli attacks continued. If it hasn’t been obvious yet, the only spoiler to peace at this moment is Israel. The fact is that a successful ceasefire could open the door to a broader and more durable understanding between Iran and the US, creating space for diplomacy to flourish. Such an outcome would serve the interests of regional stability. It would benefit Washington. It would benefit Tehran. The only actor with the greatest incentive to derail such a process is Israel. With Lebanon representing one of the few remaining pressure points through which Israel can influence wider regional dynamics, there are understandable concerns that Tel Aviv will seek to undermine any diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Tehran.
This is why the burden now falls squarely on the US. For decades, Washington has provided Israel with extensive military, financial and diplomatic support. It remains the only actor with sufficient leverage to compel meaningful restraint. Any lasting ceasefire in Lebanon will require the US to rein in Netanyahu. Without such pressure, the ceasefire may prove little more than a temporary pause. The US’s ill-thought-out attack on Iran should serve as a lesson. Israel’s long-standing dream of reshaping the Middle East through force, including fantasies of regime change in Tehran, failed to materialise because Iran proved far more resilient than many had anticipated. With the Islamabad MoU signed, the challenge is ensuring it survives. That will require Washington to confront what everyone else in the world already knows: Israel does not want peace. Indeed, the US may finally be waking up to that, what with the recent remarks by US Vice President JD Vance, who recently rebuked Israeli critics of the Iran deal and observed that Israel “can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have”. The other parts of the West need not feel smug either. The reality is that the same Western capitals that are quick to condemn violations elsewhere frequently look away when Israel is accused of committing them. And this double standard has not gone unnoticed across the Global South.
If the US genuinely seeks peace, it must stop enabling policies that perpetuate war. Washington provides Israel with roughly $4 billion in military assistance annually. As long as that support continues without conditions, there is little incentive for Israel to alter its behaviour. The Middle East does not need another fragile ceasefire destined to collapse under the weight of provocation and mistrust. It needs a genuine commitment to peace. That commitment will remain elusive as long as military escalation is rewarded and diplomacy is continually sabotaged while those responsible for regional instability are protected from the consequences of their actions.
