Overview
- An open letter by Israeli journalist Danny Zaken ran in Israel Hayom on June 18–19 and accused President Trump of signing a “surrender agreement” with Iran and of betraying Israeli and American security.
- Israel Hayom is owned by billionaire GOP donor Miriam Adelson, and the paper’s publication of the piece marks a rare public rebuke from a media outlet aligned with Trump’s donor network.
- Zaken’s column names concrete complaints: it says the memorandum will embolden Iran, warns of future deaths, criticizes Trump’s handling of Benjamin Netanyahu and calls the midterm rationale for the deal a flimsy excuse.
- The op‑ed comes after the June 16 Islamabad memorandum, a 14‑point framework that created a 60‑day IAEA‑monitored technical phase to pause hostilities and work out verification, sanctions relief and access to frozen funds.
- Analysts say the public split heightens political risk for the White House, could erode donor and allied media support, and raises the chance the temporary truce will falter if military strikes, leaks or disputes over verification continue.