End Israel's war against peace

7 min read JEFFREY D SACHS

JEFFREY SACHS AND SYBIL FARES

A two-week ceasefire has partially halted the Israeli-American war against Iran. The war achieved absolutely nothing that a competent diplomat could not have accomplished in an afternoon. The Strait of Hormuz was open before the war and is now open again, but under greater Iranian control.

Meanwhile, the chaos continues. Israel is determined to break the ceasefire, as this was an Israeli war from the start. Israel dazzled Trump with the prospect of a one-day decapitation attack that would put Trump in command of the iranian oilIsrael, in turn, was seeking a greater prize: to overthrow the Iranian regime and thus become the hegemonic power of West Asia.

The basis of the ceasefire is the Iran's 10-point plan, which Trump (perhaps inadvertently) described as a “viable basis for negotiation.” The plan makes sense, but it represents a significant step backward for the US and likely a red line for Israel. Among other points, the plan calls for an end to the wars ravaging the Middle East, almost all of which have Israel as the root cause. The plan would also resolve the nuclear issue, essentially reverting to the JCPOA that Trump withdrew in 2018.

The Iran-Iraq War, and the other wars ravaging the Middle East, stem from a central Israeli idea: that Israel will permanently and resolutely oppose a sovereign Palestinian state and overthrow any Middle Eastern government that supports armed struggle for national sovereignty. It is crucial to note that the UN General Assembly has adopted numerous resolutions, such as Resolution 37/43 (1982), affirming that political self-determination is so vital that armed struggle in pursuit of it is legitimate. The UN was born, in part, out of a determination to end centuries of European imperial domination over the world. Africa and Asia. Of course, there would be no reason for armed struggle if Israel were to accept a political solution, particularly the two-state solution, which enjoys overwhelming support worldwide.

Netanyahu's main objective could be summarized as "Greater Israel." This implies the absence of Palestinian sovereignty and the lack of clear borders for Israel, even beyond the limits of the Palestinian territories. Historic Palestine Under British rule after World War I, Zionist extremists, such as Netanyahu's political allies Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, advocate for Israeli control over parts of Lebanon and Syria, as well as permanent control over all of the territory that constituted British Palestine. American Christian Zionists, exemplified by US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and a solid base of Trump voters, speak of God's promise to Israel of the lands between the Nile and the Euphrates. It's madness, but nonetheless, these are real beliefs, and they are being promoted from the White House.

Israel's strategy, therefore, is regime change in all countries that oppose Greater Israel, a plan already foreshadowed in the famous political document. «A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm» (A Clean Break: A New Strategy to Secure the Realm), drafted by American Zionist neoconservatives as a platform for Netanyahu's new government in 1996. Since then, we have had constant wars in the Middle East to implement the vision of "A Clean Break." This has included the war in Libya to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi, the wars in Lebanon, the war to overthrow Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the war to overthrow Saddam Hussein in Iraq, and now the war to overthrow the Iranian regime.

This is not to say that the United States lacks its own grand ideas. Israel wants regional hegemony; this is no secret. Netanyahu confirmed these ambitions in his recent statements that Israel would become "a regional power and, in certain spheres, a world power." On the other hand, American officials dream of global hegemony. And Trump dreams of money. He craves Iranian oil and has said so repeatedly.

In any case, it's clear that this war was Netanyahu's creation. He and the head of Mossad came to Washington to sell Trump a hoax. It's not difficult. Trump fell for it, while everyone else had their doubts about Netanyahu's claims of an easy, one-day decapitation attack—essentially a repeat of the US operation in Venezuela.

It's pathetic to "listen" to the discussion in the White House, as revealed by the New York Times. Netanyahu, a con man, presented optimistic regime-change scenarios that US intelligence refuted, but which Trump foolishly accepted. Trump and Netanyahu were encouraged by Christian Zionists (Hegseth), Jewish Zionists and real estate developers (Kushner and Witkoff), a spiritual healer (Franklin Graham), and high-level sycophants (Rubio and Ratcliffe).

While Trump was telling the world that Iran was begging for a ceasefire, it was Trump himself who was begging for a ceasefire.

Until Tuesday night, it seemed Trump might lead the world blindly into World War III. The vulgarity and brutality of his public rhetoric were unparalleled in US presidential history. Now we know he was desperately seeking a way out and using Pakistan to that end. While Trump was telling the world that Iran was begging for a ceasefire, it was Trump himself who was pleading for a ceasefire. The Pakistani leader granted it.

The ceasefire is good, and the 10-point plan is good, although perhaps Trump didn't know what it contained when he said it was a good basis for negotiation. Israel, in any case, will work tirelessly to break it, and has already begun to do so, with the intensive bombing of Beirut that is killing hundreds of civilians, and with other attacks. A permanent agreement between the US and Iran is the last thing Netanyahu wants. That would end his dream of Greater Israel.

However, there is a path to peace, and that is for the U.S. to face reality. Israel is the true “terrorist state,” waging perpetual war throughout the Middle East for a completely indefensible reason: to have unfettered freedom to terrorize and rule the Palestinian people and to expand its borders as Israel’s zealots see fit. To achieve lasting peace in the Middle East, the United States must end its blank check for Israel’s perpetual wars and join the rest of the world in compelling Israel to live within its internationally recognized borders of June 4, 1967. Iran’s 10-point plan can be the basis for comprehensive regional peace if the United States accepts the reality of a Palestinian state. In that case, Iran is likely to agree to stop funding non-state belligerents, and Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the entire region could live in mutual security and peace. That outcome should be the basis for a negotiated agreement between the United States and Iran within the next two weeks.

The American people have made their opinions clear. A 2025 Pew survey It reveals that the majority of American Jews do not trust Netanyahu and support the two-state solution. A majority of Americans now view Israel unfavorably, the highest level of unfavorability in history. Sympathy toward Israel has reached its lowest level in 25 years. Now the political class must catch up with public opinion.

Peace is within reach, if the United States seizes the opportunity. Iran's proposal is serious, and the ceasefire represents a fragile chance for a global agreement. The question is whether the United States will once again allow Israel to destroy peace, or whether this time it will defend the interests of the United States and the world in pursuit of lasting peace.