US influence over Israel limited as attacks on Lebanon threaten to shatter ceasefire: expert

Israel's influence on the Trump administration outsizes the already significant sway it held over previous presidencies, contributing to miscalculations that ultimately led to strikes on Iran and putting the temporary ceasefire at risk, said a U.S. expert.

After about 40 days of deadly clashes, the United States and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire on Wednesday, with Israel supporting the truce. However, the truce remains deeply fragile, especially as Israel continues to attack Lebanon, which Iran has called a violation of the ceasefire and threatened a strong response if it continues.

However, the power of the Israel lobby in the United States, especially over the Trump Administration, may weaken its ability to rein in Israeli military action, said Anton Fedyashin, an associate professor at American University.

"The Trump administration has no one but itself to blame. Although it is acting in a very important context, which is the general, enormous influence of the Israeli government over all American administrations, except that under Trump, this influence of course is greater than ever before. Israel has a very powerful lobby in the United States. This is absolutely no secret; not only articles, but very good books have been written about this," he said in an interview with China Global Television Network.

Fedyashin said this influence, combined with poor intelligence, contributed to what he described as a misjudgment that Iran's government would easily fall.

"The problem is that while previous presidents have managed to somehow resist that lobby, Donald Trump seems to have completely fallen for Benjamin Netanyahu's case to convince him that the attack on Iran will be lightning fast, will achieve results very quickly. And this becomes a very important question about the quality of Mossad information, because along with Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House meeting, which happened on February 11, at least according to New York Times, was the head of the Israeli Mossad, and both Netanyahu and the head of Mossad were convincing Trump that Iran's government is on its last legs, that all it needs is a slight push, and that was a catastrophic misjudgment," he said.

US influence over Israel limited as attacks on Lebanon threaten to shatter ceasefire: expert

Former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama on Tuesday urged the country's incumbent Takaichi administration to withdraw its erroneous remarks regarding China's Taiwan, and adhere to the one-China policy.

Hatoyama made the remarks during the ongoing 13th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, which runs from Tuesday to Thursday in the Chinese capital. He said Takaichi should either retract her remarks or, by some other means, communicate in "an absolutely unambiguous manner" that Japan continues to firmly respect the one-China policy.   "The Taiwan issue is an extremely sensitive issue in China-Japan relations. I believe it is important for Japan to continue respecting the agreements embodied in the 1972 Japan China Joint Communique. That is one-China policy. I can understand why China was concerned by Prime Minister Takaichi's remarks last year. In diplomacy, even a change in wording can sometimes be interpreted as a change in policy. Prime Minister Takaichi should either retract these remarks, or by some other means, communicate in an absolutely unambiguous manner that Japan continues to respect the one-China policy," said Hatoyama.

At a Diet meeting in November last year, Takaichi said the Chinese mainland's "use of force on Taiwan" could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan. She refused to retract her remark, which implies the possibility of armed intervention in the Taiwan Strait.

Takaichi's provocative statements have sparked widespread outrage and condemnation across China, while China has repeatedly urged Japan to retract those remarks.

Former Japanese PM Hatoyama urges Takaichi to retract Taiwan-related remarks