Benjamin Netanyahu speech to Congress: Isaac Herzog claims PM has sidelined Israel in Iran nuclear talks
'Israeli citizens can be very pleased with the applause at the moment, but for the long term, Israel is out of the picture,' said the opposition leader
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Israel’s opposition leader accused Benjamin Netanyahu of taking his country “out of the picture” in US nuclear negotiations with Iran by telling the US Congress that American policy was the “countdown to a nuclear nightmare”.
Isaac Herzog, who heads the Zionist Camp grouping hoping to win power from Mr Netanyahu’s Likud-led coalition in elections later this month, said the only effect of the Prime Minister’s speech was to leave Israel without influence over the talks between Iran and the world’s major powers.
“Israeli citizens can be very pleased with the applause at the moment, but for the long term, Netanyahu is out of the picture, Israel is out of the picture. Israel is not part of the process of negotiations,” he told Army Radio.
His comments came as John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, and his Iranian counterpart concluded a third day of negotiations in Switzerland and said they would meet again on 15 March – two days before the Israeli elections.
The pro-Netanyahu Yisrael Hayom newspaper ran the headline “A speech of a historic moment” on its coverage and said Mr Netanyahu had carried out “that with which he is entrusted: defence of the security and future of his country”.
But Yediot Ahronoth newspaper argued: “If Israel truly wants to strive for improvements in the emerging Iran agreement it must restore dialogue with the Obama administration.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.