Responsible Statecraft editor-in-chief Ben Armbruster published an article titled "Former Israeli official heads White House Israel-Iran desk."
Radar Armenia reports on the article:
"Former Israeli Defense Ministry official Merav Ceren is heading the Israel-Iran desk at the National Security Council (NSC). The Drop Site News report comes as the Trump administration is negotiating with Iran to curb its nuclear program, a move vehemently opposed by many in Washington who favor war with Israel over diplomacy.
The White House confirmed Ceren's appointment to the NSC, calling him a "patriotic American." The Drop Site notes that his appointment gives Israel "an unusual advantage in domestic policy discussions, at a time when the Israeli government has launched a new campaign to pressure the U.S. government to go to war with Iran rather than continue negotiations on a nuclear deal."
Indeed, the administration's internal discussions on Iran were revealed last week when the New York Times reported that President Trump had urged Israel to refrain from an immediate attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. Many senior Trump administration officials supported Trump's decision, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
Ceren was previously a national security fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), a think tank that advocates for Israel. Ceren has shared content on X (formerly Twitter) that either criticized President Obama's 2015 nuclear deal with Iran or lifted sanctions on Iran. This would likely be necessary if Trump reached an agreement with Iran.
Ceren's bio on FDD states: "Previously, he worked for the Israeli Ministry of Defense, where he participated in negotiations in the West Bank between the Coordinator of Operations in the Israeli Government Territories and Palestinian Authority officials." The Drop Site notes that the Israeli agency where he worked "is now blocking humanitarian aid from entering the Gaza Strip, leading to an unimaginable humanitarian crisis."
Prepared by Arman Galoyan
