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Iran deal is a blow to the credibility of Netanyahu

July 16, 2015 15:20
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By

Anshel Pfeffer,

Anshel Pfeffer

1 min read

Benjamin Netanyahu's response on Tuesday morning to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear programme was hardly surprising.

The deal that he had spent years fighting, that had prompted him to sacrifice his government's relationship with Barack Obama's White House, was, he said, "a mistake of historic proportions" that "threatens Israel's security and the security of the entire world".

But the prime minister who normally projects a confident - some say arrogant - image, looked ashen-faced when he tried to explain to Israelis what had just happened.

Likud ministers were briefed to tell the media that if it had not been for Mr Netanyahu's efforts, there would have been no sanctions on Iran to begin with and the agreement would have been a lot worse.