Even as the U.S. and world media mark every step of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s U.S. visit, the Israeli press is keeping even closer eye on his reelection bid later this month.
The Israeli leader is set to address the U.S. Congress Tuesday in a speech that has already increased friction with President Barack Obama. Netanyahu is expected to implore U.S. lawmakers not to approve an accord with Iran over its nuclear program, even as the Obama administration is in full negotiations with Tehran.
Often crticial of Netanyahu, the Israeli daily Haaretz covered the prime minister’s first full day in Washington, including his speech to an American-Jewish group AIPAC. In contrast to his rising popularity in his host country, Haaretz notes that Netanyahu’s reelection bid is far from guaranteed.
“This could be Benjamin Netanyahu’s last official visit abroad as prime minister,” Anshel Pfeffer writes. “For the many who are scandalized by the way Israel’s leader is making a speech today in Washington, against the express wishes of the Obama administration and just two weeks before the elections, this is a comforting thought. …”
