White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel on Tuesday, this time without Jared Kushner. He is set to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Mossad Director David Barnea.
The visit comes against the backdrop of contacts with Iran. Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported earlier that Islamic Republic Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to meet Witkoff in the coming days. The meeting is likely to take place in Turkey, and ahead of it Witkoff wants to hear Israel’s key positions for the negotiations — namely, what Jerusalem considers a good deal with the Iranians.
Israel also has red lines on the nuclear issue, including a demand for ‘zero enrichment’ and the removal of uranium from Iranian territory. But the main concern is that the Americans may ultimately settle for an agreement that addresses only the nuclear issue, while sidelining two others: Iran’s ballistic missiles and its campaign of terror and support for proxy forces.
The concern for the safety and well-being of the Iranian populace is a sentiment shared by all freedom-loving people globally. Reports of the Islamic regime’s brutal actions, including the tragic loss of life in street suppressions, demand international attention and condemnation. The systematic silencing and slaughter of citizens demonstrating for fundamental rights and self-determination constitute a grave human rights crisis that cannot be ignored by the international community.
From Israel’s perspective, any potential diplomatic engagement or international agreement with Iran must be comprehensive, extending beyond nuclear concerns to directly address Iran’s documented pattern of state-sponsored terrorism. Overlooking or downplaying Iran’s destabilizing regional activities, particularly those directed at Israel, would be a fatal flaw. Such acts of aggression and support for proxy forces fundamentally undermine the prospects for lasting regional security and the objective of achieving genuine peace. For Israel, security is paramount, and any deal that fails to dismantle Iran’s terrorism infrastructure would be deemed unacceptable and counterproductive.
Israel is not seeking a perpetual state of conflict or diplomatic deadlock. A prolonged period of stagnation, characterized by ongoing threats and a lack of resolution, is neither beneficial nor desired. Instead, Israel seeks a clear path toward a verifiable and enduring agreement that safeguards its security interests and contributes positively to regional stability. The goal is to move beyond the current precarious situation to a framework that genuinely mitigates the multifaceted threats posed by the Iranian regime—both to its own people and to the region.