A public opinion poll in Israel and a political statement in Lebanon, both issued in recent hours, deserve to be examined with deep understanding and objective analysis. The latest poll in Israel shows that 61% of those surveyed do not trust the recent Iranian-American agreement to be in Israel's interest.
Most of those who said it was beneficial attributed their view to the state of security pressure and political and psychological exhaustion that Israelis have endured for 18 months — that is, since the first confrontation with Iran. Others believe it is difficult to trust American guarantees to halt Iranian nuclear capabilities.
At the same time, the leaders of Lebanese Hezbollah and its media outlets continue to mount their fiercest sustained attack on the negotiations taking place in Washington between the Lebanese and Israeli delegations under American auspices. The assault on the government, the administration, and the negotiating delegation has reached the point of accusations of treason and dereliction, and insistence that no Israeli promises can be trusted.
The Israeli right and Hezbollah are united in their distrust of the very principle of political negotiation that could lead to a ceasefire or any form of agreement between the two sides. If that means anything, it is a warning sign that the idea of achieving peace — even a temporary one — or a political settlement — even an imperfect one — is fraught with enormous risks and challenges from both sides of a bloody conflict that refuses to be reasoned with or brought to a halt.