BICOM

Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog was among several political leaders who yesterday criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to address Congress, due to its potential impact on US-Israel relations.

Speaking after the speech at a community near the Gaza border, Herzog prefaced his critique by saying, “No Israeli leader will stand a nuclear Iran … The determination to prevent Iran from acquiring Nuclear weapons crosses continents and crosses party lines.” However, said Herzog, “The speech we heard today, impressive as it is, will not stop the Iranian nuclear program,” contending, “It will also not affect the upcoming agreement – not the content nor the timetable.”

Instead, Herzog suggested “the painful truth” is that “This speech greatly damaged the US-Israel relationship. It won’t change the government’s stance and will only widen the rift with our biggest friend and strategic ally.” Herzog pledged that if elected, “I will recruit the international community and all the tools necessary in order to save Israel from the international isolation that Netanyahu imposed on us.”

Meanwhile, Meretz leader Zahava Galon said that Netanyahu “didn’t present anything positive, nor can he,” adding “It’s chutzpah to stand in Congress and tell Americans their president is making a bad deal.” Speaking ahead of Netanyahu’s speech, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid called the address “a violation of every rule possible” in diplomatic relations and predicted “there will be a price to pay.” Kulanu’s Michael Oren, a former Israeli Ambassador to the United States commented, “The issue is no longer about the speech, the issue is the day after the speech. How do we begin tomorrow to repair the damage [with the US] that has been done?”

However, Likud MK Yariv Levin reacted to the criticism saying “the congressmen taught [Zionist Union leader Tzipi] Livni and Herzog a lesson in how to display responsibility and show respect for a leader fighting for his country’s future.” Meanwhile, Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett said that Herzog, Livni and Lapid “should have been there by Netanyahu’s side.”