Former Israeli official heads Israel, Iran desk at White House, Responsible Statecraft and Drop Site News report.
A former Israeli defence official is heading the Israel and Iran desk at the National Security Council. The report by Drop Site News comes as the Trump administration negotiates with Iran to curb its nuclear programme against strong opposition from many pro-Israel hawks in Washington who favour war over diplomacy.
The White House confirmed Merav Ceren’s appointment to the NSC, calling her a “patriotic American”. Drop Site notes that with her in the role, Israel has “an unusual advantage in internal policy discussions, just as the Israeli government has launched a new campaign to pressure the American administration to start a war with Iran rather than continue negotiating a nuclear deal.
Indeed, the administration’s internal deliberations on Iran came to light last week when the New York Times reported that President Trump had dissuaded the Israelis from an imminent attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. A wide range of senior Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, backed Trump’s decision.
Ceren – who was once a “national security fellow” at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a pro-Israel think tank in Washington – has previously shared content on X (formerly Twitter) that was either critical of President Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal with Iran or the lifting of sanctions on Iran, which would likely be necessary in any potential deal Trump makes with Iran.
Ceren’s biography on FDD says: “She previously worked in the Israeli Ministry of Defence, where she participated in negotiations in the West Bank between Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories and Palestinian Authority officials.” Drop Site notes that the Israeli agency she worked for “is now refusing to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, creating a humanitarian crisis of unspeakable proportions.
