The US-Israel War on Iran rolls on and does more and more damage

Israel is continuing Netanyahu‘s permanent-war policy. The government is aggressively pushing forward on further illegal settlements in the West Bank. And further undermining what legitimacy and governing authority the Palestinian Authority has there.

While Israeli land seizure orders are certainly not uncommon in the occupied West Bank, this case has alarmed residents and human rights organizations because the plots are located in Area A. This is the section of the West Bank where, under the Oslo Accords [of 1993 and 1995], the Palestinian Authority officially maintains full civil and security control; in Area B, the PA must coordinate security with Israel, while Area C, which comprises more than 60 percent of the territory, remains under full Israeli control. (1)

Iran has been insisting that any peace settlement has to include not only the US but also Israel and that it has to cover the Israeli invasion and war-making in Lebanon.

Zvi Bar’el reported on May 29:

Initial reports that Iranian and American negotiators had agreed on a memorandum of understanding that was awaiting U.S. President Donald Trump's approval didn't explain what was agreed, what remains in dispute, what the agenda will be for the talks slated to take place during a 60-day cease-fire, whether Iran is willing to let its highly enriched uranium be removed from the country or what it would get in return.

Apparently, the blows the countries have exchanged over the past week still aren't viewed as ending the cease-fire. Like the ones in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, this cease-fire has been characterized by an elasticity that is meant to reconcile the tactical need to demonstrate a resolute military posture, even if it has no strategic goal, with the need to avoid ruining the chances of the ambiguous diplomatic process. [my emphasis] (2)

That’s because Netanyahu and the Israeli supporters of his war policy don’t seem to make any practical distinction anymore between ongoing military operations and a ceasefire. Netanyahu’s goal is for Israel to dominate the region and take more territory in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank. And probably more after that.

Bar’el also reports, “the Board of Peace is on the verge of bankruptcy due to lack of funding.” Wait, how is that possible? I thought other countries were giving Trump billions to serve on the Board. As The Independent reports:

Concerns were that the charter was so broad it amounted to an attempt by Trump to replace the United Nations (an institution he has made no secret of hating) with his own private members’ club. Trump had declared: “We can do pretty much anything we want to do.”

But fast forward to May, and as Trump overcomplicates an already impossibly hard peace deal in Iran, his Board of Peace brainchild is flailing.

It seems a bit broken: promised US funding has reportedly yet to materialise, other funds are frozen, and its mission is “stuck in limbo”. (3)

Yes, “a bit broken”!

But, hey, Trump’s really “ownin’ the libs,” huh?

And the finances of the board are going about as well as we would expect from a Trump grift:

At the time of its inauguration, Trump claimed lifetime membership of the board of peace could be bought for a hefty price tag of $1bn.

By February, states had pledged around $7bn for a Gaza relief package. Trump promised a further $10bn in US funding, although he did not say where that money would come from.

To date, “zero funds have been deposited” into the official fund, which is administered by the World Bank, and endorsed by the United Nations, according to the Financial Times.

Trita Parsi gives this brief update on Israel, Iran, and Lebanon: (4)

Notes:

(1) Zaish, Shata (2026): In first since Oslo, Israel seizing land for army base inside West Bank city +972 Magazine 05/27/2026. <https://www.972mag.com/oslo-israel-seizing-land-army-base-west-bank-city/> (Accessed: 2026-30-05).

(2) Bar’el, Zvi (2026): Trump Is Trapped Between Iran and Lebanon. Israel Could Pay the Price. Haaretz 05/29/2026. <https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/israel-security/2026-05-29/ty-article/.premium/trump-is-trapped-between-iran-and-lebanon-israel-could-pay-the-price/0000019e-7108-df34-a39e-712ab8be0000?gift=f4f7b1b59bfe4bfe970dc2bd937ba2ad> (Accessed: 2026-30-05).

(3) Trump’s board of peace is flailing – just like the president. The Independent 05/28/2026. <https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/trump-board-of-peace-iran-gaza-b2984416.html> (Accessed: 2026-30-05).

(4) New regional logic: If Israel strikes Lebanon Iran strikes back at UAE. Middle East Eye YouTube channel 05/29/2026. <https://youtu.be/Dg02M6Ua95w?si=gp6ZMTY88XnC2x7P> (Accessed: 2026-30-05).