Israeli center, left slam Netanyahu’s Congress speech

Michael Oren, the former Israeli ambassador to the US who is running for Knesset with the Kulanu list, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a “powerful” speech to Congress on Tuesday but “did not offer any new ideas,” and could have made his point while speaking on “any of the American TV networks.”

Oren was a guest on a Channel 2 panel that aired the speech with a five-minute delay according to the instructions of Israel’s Central Election Committee, in order to ensure the address contained no illegal campaigning ahead of Knesset elections on March 17.

In a speech that stirred political controversy in two countries, Netanyahu assailed an emerging nuclear deal with Iran and told Congress that the negotiations between the two countries would “all but guarantee” that Tehran gets nuclear weapons to the detriment of the entire world. The invitation to Netanyahu to address Congress, extended by House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, triggered a political furor in the United States. Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s opponents in Israel accused him of staging the speech as an campaign ploy.

Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog, Netanyahu’s only challenger for the premiership, staged a “reaction speech” in a western Negev town Tuesday evening and accused the prime minister of fear-mongering in his address to Congress, saying many Israelis wanted “to be released from fear to a new hope.”

Herzog emphasized that he did “not think lightly of the Iranian threat” but he was “here, not in Washington,” for the sake of the disadvantaged residents of outlying towns. He said he was committed to establishing a wide international front to counter Iran’s nuclear aspirations.

He conceded that Netanyahu had delivered a fine speech, but lamented that it had “created a rupture in the relationship with the US.”

“The fact that we have a large population that is hungry, wounded and sick” is the result of Netanyahu’s lack of responsibility, Herzog charged, adding: “I will take responsibility. I will be a leader who comes to work for the people.”

Herzog’s speech was cut short since, Channel 2 anchor Yonit Levi said, it was “blatant election propaganda.”

MK Shelly Yachimovich, who is in the third slot on the Zionist Union’s Knesset slate, said that Netanyahu’s address was “delivered despite a severe warning from the White House, and while [Netanyahu] was aware of the damage he caused while preparing for the speech.” Yachimovich, who was also on the Channel 2 panel, nevertheless conceded that “most Israelis agreed with the content of the speech.”

She said Herzog would have made “exactly the same speech” but with the difference that the US president and the vice president would be in attendance.

Zehava Gal-on, the leader of the left-wing Meretz party, criticized Netanyahu for “speaking in Congress, to American congressmen, against the American president.” Still, even she complimented the “well-organized, fine rhetoric we have come to expect from the prime minister.”

“Do you know what this is like?” she asked. “It’s like British Prime Minister David Cameron addressing the Knesset and telling MKs to replace their prime minister,” she continued. Political commentator Amit Segal interjected: “This is more or less what Obama did when he came here to address students two years ago.”

To Netanyahu’s right, Jewish Home party leader Naftali Bennett was full of praise for the speech. Bennett slammed opposition members for their criticism of Netanyahu and said that they should have “stepped aside and not interfered.” Bennett said the opposition acted “totally irresponsibly” regarding the speech.

“I give my full backing to the prime minister,” he declared.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.