Shagiv Assulin, a former senior Mossad official and a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs and Security, says that behind President Trump’s peace vision for the Middle East lies one central truth: the absolute prioritization of the Iranian threat.
According to him, Israel cannot afford to present itself as an obstacle to the American vision at the level of ceremonies and declarations, but in practice, realities on the ground will dictate a different course. “The concessions are declarative and perceptual, not substantive,” he stresses, adding that coordination between Trump and Netanyahu regarding Iran is complete.
Assulin warns against the cognitive arena, which he calls “the eighth front,” where Israel is losing ground. Qatar and Turkey, he says, are leading a narrative of Palestinian victory even when no such victory exists in reality. “There is a huge difference between words and symbols of sovereignty—flags and actual presence on the ground—and that is where there must be no compromise,” he states.
According to Assulin, the ayatollahs’ regime, through the Revolutionary Guards and its proxies, is slaughtering its own people. He describes it as the only regime in the world that fears its citizens more than it fears its enemies. “This is a story of a people versus a regime—and I hope that this, too, is about to change soon.”
