‘A Ceasefire Is Not a Goal, It’s a Tool’: Israeli Lawmakers Cautiously Weigh Cost of Victory
After a historic Israeli-American strike on Iran and a ceasefire brokered by President Trump, voices from Israel’s coalition and opposition reflect on what was gained, what was prevented—and what must never be allowed to return.
In the aftermath of what many describe as one of Israel’s most decisive military operations in decades, voices across the Knesset are attempting to process both the scale of the achievement and the risks of the political moment. Coalition and opposition lawmakers alike are offering strong words—but not always in the same direction.
MK Tally Gotliv of the ruling Likud party had no hesitation in framing the Israeli strike as a defining victory. In conversation with The Media Line, she described the opening of the campaign as “the elimination of top Revolutionary Guards and nuclear scientists [which] sent a massive shockwave through Iran,” adding that “it reminded the world who Israel is. Small as we may be, our strength is immense.”
Her praise extended to the operational level as well. She called the operation “a display of tremendous power by one of the finest air forces in the world, combined with extraordinary intelligence capabilities from the Mossad and Military Intelligence Directorate.”
If we’ve met our objectives—then the ceasefire is a blessing. But only on the condition that Israel knows how to preserve its achievements in Iran.
While the ceasefire declared by US President Donald Trump has held for over 48 hours, its implications remain a matter of dispute. For Gotliv, its legitimacy hinges on whether Israeli objectives were met. “If we’ve met our objectives—then the ceasefire is a blessing. But only on the condition that Israel knows how to preserve its achievements in Iran,” she said. “Because if Iran, God forbid, rearms with ballistic missiles or uranium enrichment capability, it becomes a danger not only to the Middle East but to the entire world.”
Gotliv addressed the launch of Iranian drones toward northern Israel shortly after the ceasefire took effect, describing it as an expected move by a defeated regime. “Iran suffered a defeat it didn’t imagine,” she said. “It was a predictable violation.”
While Israel reportedly prepared a large retaliatory strike, it ultimately opted for a restrained response after a direct call from President Trump. Gotliv acknowledged there had been disagreement at the top but added, “there was a compromise between the President, the prime minister, and the minister of defense. There was a response, but not one that made a lot of noise. Israel absorbed this violation because of the magnitude of the victory we had just achieved.”
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As long as Iran is not allowed to regain the existential threat it posed to Israel—whether through nuclear weapons or thousands of missiles aimed at our civilians—we’ve done the right thing. But if Iran is allowed to rearm and rebuild, that is unacceptable.
In contrast, MK Boaz Toporovsky of the opposition’s Yesh Atid party framed the ceasefire as a calculated tactical decision—provided it holds. “A ceasefire is not a goal, it’s a tool,” he told The Media Line. “As long as Iran is not allowed to regain the existential threat it posed to Israel—whether through nuclear weapons or thousands of missiles aimed at our civilians—we’ve done the right thing. But if Iran is allowed to rearm and rebuild, that is unacceptable.”
On the issue of US intervention in halting Israel’s planned strike, Toporovsky expressed understanding. “The United States is our most important ally. Its entry into the war helped bring it to an end and removed an existential threat from Israel,” he said. “It’s appropriate to consider their position as much as possible. That said, Israel must never jeopardize its own survival just to maintain goodwill. But that wasn’t the case here. Given that President Trump himself ordered strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, I would have supported his request.”
From the Haredi coalition parties, MK Moshe Roth of United Torah Judaism told The Media Line that while the ceasefire may not have come at a “100%” ideal moment, it was “definitely close to that.” He explained, “The major objectives of this whole operation was to eliminate imminent threat, existential threat to Israel. … Those two objectives have been eliminated. So in conclusion, it was okay. We could definitely go on with that.”
On whether Israel should have retaliated after drones were intercepted over northern Israel, Roth said, “When you take everything into consideration—the relationship we share with the United States and with the Trump administration, and the risks of sending planes into Iran—then, yes, Israel did the right thing not to respond at this point at this time.”
In the near future, though, “if Iran would send drones to Israel, yes, Israel has to retaliate in the most forceful way possible just to make sure that they never, ever try to do this again,” he added.
Despite the relative unity on strategic goals, the scars of domestic political conflict remain. Gotliv accused the opposition of hypocrisy in its sudden expressions of support for the prime minister. “They repeatedly said in the plenum and in interviews that he was weak, that he would never strike Iran. … They’re embarrassed now,” she said. “They understand the scale of the operation—the months of intelligence gathering, the Mossad’s activity inside Iran. Netanyahu did what they said he couldn’t.”
No one knows what will happen in a few hours, let alone in a few days. Our enemies are sophisticated, dangerous, and relentless. We must continue step by step—but make no mistake: we still have a long road ahead.
Yet for Toporovsky, the key question remains what comes next. “No one knows what will happen in a few hours, let alone in a few days,” he said earlier this week. “Our enemies are sophisticated, dangerous, and relentless. We must continue step by step—but make no mistake: we still have a long road ahead.”
Roth, for his part, praised the brief wartime unity in the Knesset but warned against assuming it would last. “We in Israel … have this robust democracy where the right and the left go at each other full force. But when it comes to a real situation of a war or any kind of existential threat to us, we stick together,” he said. “But I’m not optimistic about the future. … This unity was a temporary thing.”
He was emphatic about United Torah Judaism’s role in shaping defense policy. “We didn’t need a war to sort of make us more aware of this,” he said. “This has always been our strategy, always been our legacy. … We care about the Jewish nation, not only in Israel, but all over the world.”
As Israel enters a tense calm, the mood in the Knesset is a mix of triumph, caution, and unfinished business. The ceasefire may have paused the missiles—but it has only sharpened the political clarity. Victory, it seems, is not measured only in airstrikes, but in what comes after.
