Inside Story

Is Netanyahu sabotaging Israeli ties with US?

Israeli prime minister faces fierce criticism as he prepares to give controversial speech on Iran’s nuclear programme.

In advance of his speech to the US Congress on Iran’s nuclear programme, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has come under fierce criticism from the US administration. He has accused the administration of giving up on trying to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb.

John Kerry, US secretary of state, has questioned Netanyahu’s judgement on this issue, while Susan Rice, President Obama’s national security adviser, went as far as warning that Netanyahu might be undermining bipartisan support for Israel.

Will this dispute be contained? And what does it mean for Netanyahu in an election season?

Presenter: Martine Dennis

Guests:

Gil Hoffman – chief political correspondent for the Jerusalem Post.

Rebecca Abou Chedid – Fellow of Truman National Security Project and former political director at the Arab American Institute.

Akiva Eldar – senior columnist for Al-monitor.com.