Polls shows boost for Likud party

The first poll taken in Israel following prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s speech to the United States Congress shows a small but significant boost for his ruling Likud party.

A channel 2 TV poll showed the Likud gaining two seats to a projected 23 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, only one behind the centre-left Zionist Camp, led jointly by Labour leader Yitzhak Herzog and former justice minister Tsipi Livni, with 24 seats.

The controversial Congress speech has succeeded in reversing the recent decline in the polls for the Likud but it remains to be seen if this marks the beginning of an upward trend for the prime minister or a temporary reprieve.

The polls indicate neither the right-religious nor centre- left blocs can muster a decisive majority, making some kind of national unity government, possibly with a Netanyahu-Herzog rotation agreement, a distinct possibility after the March 17th election.

Practical alternative After returning from Washington yesterday, Mr Netanyahu said he had offered a “practical alternative” to the emerging nuclear deal with Iran.

“I return to Israel knowing that many around the world heard what Israel has to say about the impending deal with Iran. In my speech before the Congress I presented a practical alternative, which would impose tougher restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme, extending Iran’s breakout time by years,” he said.

“I also called on the P5+1 [the US, Russia, China, UK, France and Germany] to insist on a deal that would link the lifting of those restrictions to Iran’s ceasing its sponsorship of terrorism around the world, its aggression against its neighbours and its calls for Israel’s destruction. I heard encouraging responses from both Democrats and Republicans. They understood that the current proposal would lead to a bad deal and that the alternative is a better deal.”

Direct response

His comments appeared to be a direct response to US president Barack Obama, who criticised Mr Netanyahu’s Congress speech, saying he had failed to offer a viable alternative.

Mr Netanyahu’s speech, from which seven senators and 46 congressmen – all Democrats – were absent, received 24 standing ovations. The prime toned down the rhetoric on the disagreements with the administration concerning the impending agreement and stressed his visit to the US was not a political one, and that Jerusalem’s strategic alliance with Washington transcended politics.

Israeli media aired the speech with a five-minute delay, under instructions from the central elections committee, to ensure it was free of any political messages that could be construed as campaigning.

Opposition parties accused Mr Netanyahu of sacrificing relations with the president of Israel’s closest ally in a blatant effort to win votes two weeks ahead of the election.