Israel Matzav

As electioneering, it was a failure?

Israeli Channel 2 news said Netanyahu’s Likud party had increased its likely support by one seat in the parliament. On rival Channel 10, Likud had gained two seats to tie its main challenger.

In answer to Channel 2’s question, “Did the speech strengthen or weaken support for Netanyahu?” 44 percent of the respondents said it strengthened support, 43 percent said it had no influence, and 12 percent said it weakened support for the premier.

Israeli political analysts had predicted that Netanyahu and Likud would probably see at least a small bump in support after he warned U.S. lawmakers to reject President Obama’s draft deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program.

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It is too soon to know whether any electoral boost that Netanyahu gains from the speech will be sustained.

The real scrum of the election has just begun.

Likudniks are hoping the boss’s address to Congress will pull them ahead of their main challenger, Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog and his running mate, former justice minister and peace negotiator Tzipi Livni, who are running under the banner of the Zionist Union.

Herzog and the Zionist Union plan to hammer away on the theme that Netanyahu’s address to Congress may do nothing to change the Iran nuclear deal but has spoiled relations with Washington.

Israeli newspapers and TV were filled Wednesday with images of House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi looking vexed during Netanyahu’s address. “I was near tears throughout the prime minister's speech — saddened by the insult to the intelligence of the United States,” Pelosi said afterward.

Labels: Binyamin Netanyahu, Iranian nuclear threat, Israeli media bias, joint session of Congress, Nancy Pelosi, Tzipi Livni, Yitzchak Herzog

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:37 PM