Former Israeli official leading Israel, Iran desk at the White House

A former Israeli Ministry of Defense official is leading the Israel and Iran desk at the National Security Council. The report from Drop Site News comes as the Trump administration is negotiating with Iran to curb its nuclear program amid strong opposition from many pro-Israel hawks in Washington who favor 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 that role, Israel has “an unusual advantage in internal policy discussions just as the Israeli government has launched a new campaign to pressure the American government to start a war with Iran rather than continue with negotiations toward a nuclear deal.”

Indeed, the administration’s internal deliberations on Iran flew out into the open last week when the New York Times reported that President Trump discouraged the Israelis from an impending attack on Iran’s nuclear sites. A wide range of senior Trump administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles supported Trump’s decision.

Ceren — who was once a “national security fellow” for the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank that advocates for Israel — has previously shared content on X (formerly Twitter) that was either critical of President Obama’s nuclear deal reached with Iran back in 2015 or lifting sanctions on Iran, which would likely be necessary in any potential deal Trump makes with Iran.

Ceren’s bio at FDD says, “Previously, she worked at Israel’s Ministry of Defense, where she participated in negotiations in the West Bank between Israel’s Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories and Palestinian Authority officials.” Drop Site notes that the Israeli agency she worked for is “now refusing entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, sparking a humanitarian crisis of unspeakable proportions.”