Oren says speech ‘powerful’ but not new

Speaking to Channel 2, Oren says the speech was “powerful” but Netanyahu “did not sound any new ideas” and could have driven his point home while speaking on “any of the American TV networks.”

MK Shelly Yachimovich, No. 3 on the Zionist Union list, says the speech was “carried out under severe warning from the White House, and while being aware of the damage he caused while preparing for the speech.” She nevertheless conceded that “most Israelis agreed with the content of the speech.”

“It is a shame the speech was made all through a tear in the relations with the US, through cynical use of the issue for domestic electioneering,” she says.

Yachimovich says Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog would make “exactly the same speech” but with the difference that the US president and the vice president would be in attendance.

Likud minister Gilad Erdan says Yachimovich is “delusional” in thinking that it would be possible to make such a speech with the US president in attendance as long as the US and Israel had substantive differences on the Iranian issue.

— Jonathan Beck