Netanyahu rival says Congress speech hurts Israel-U.S. ties

Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival in the upcoming elections said Tuesday that the Israeli prime minister's speech before U.S. Congress greatly damaged bilateral ties.

Yitzhak Herzog, who heads the center-left Zionist Union, told a press conference one hour after Netanyahu's Congress speech rejecting a "bad" nuclear deal with Iran.

"There's no doubt that Netanyahu can give great speeches, but let's face the facts: this speech, as impressive as it may be, will not stop the nuclear program nor influence the upcoming agreement with Iran," Herzog said.

The Israeli politician said that while he shared Netanyahu's concerns over the prospect of a nuclear Iran, the only way to prevent it is to cooperate with the U.S. government.

"This speech would only deteriorate our relations with the United States, our greatest friend and strategic ally... a deterioration for which we all may pay a heavy price," he said.

In his speech, Netanyahu called for rejection of a "bad deal" with Iran, insisting such an accord would allow the Islamic republic to develop nuclear bombs.

"We are better off" without a bad deal with Iran, the hawkish Israeli leader told a joint session of U.S. Congress, in a move that has further strained his often tense relationship with the Barack Obama administration.

The prime minister made the speech just two weeks before Israel's parliamentary elections, scheduled for March 17.

His insistence on addressing the U.S. Congress has gained criticism from both the U.S. administration and people inside Israel.

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers boycotted the speech and U.S. President Barack Obama did not meet with Netanyahu upon his arrival in Washington, saying that doing so just ahead of the elections could be regarded as meddling in Israel's internal affairs.

In Israel, other center-left politicians also criticized Netanyahu's speech as political propaganda, and that it was at the expense of Israel's relationship with Washington.

Israel has long accused Iran of attempting to develop nuclear weapons under the cover of its current nuclear program, while Iran has kept denying the accusations, insisting its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

Iran and the P5+1 group, namely the U.S., Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany, have been negotiating with Iran over its nuclear plan since mid-2013, and hope to reach a final agreement by the end of March.

Herzog, chief of the center-left Labor party, formed the Zionist Union along with former Justice Minister Tzipi Livni in order to challenge Netanyahu's position.

According to a poll published on Tuesday prior to the speech, the Zionist Union is expected to receive 24 out of 120 seats in the next Knesset (parliament), while Netanyahu's Likud party would get 21 seats.

Political pundits said Netanyahu's insistence on delivering the speech amid criticism was a political move to gain more votes in the upcoming elections. Endit