WATCH: Haaretz's Chemi Shalev Analyzes Impact of Netanyahu Speech on Israeli Election

In MSNBC interview, U.S. editor of Haaretz says that after Israelis got over being 'impressed,' they realized the speech did nothing to change things, while calling attention to poor U.S.-Israeli relations.

Haaretz

Mar. 15, 2015

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Netanyahu gesturing as he speaks before a joint meeting of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 3, 2015.Credit: AP

Haaretz

Mar. 15, 2015

Haaretz's Chemi Shalev addressed the question whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the U.S. Congress earlier this month backfired, in an interview on MSNBC's "Up with Steve Kornacki" on Sunday.

Kornacki asked Shalev how Netanyahu's speech to the U.S. Congress last month, which was supposed to "boost him in the polls by appearing to be a statesman," played back in Israel.

"I think in the short term it gave him a bump for like a day or two but, first of all, in the pace of events these days it's been forgotten," replied Shalev. Secondly, he said, "after everybody got over being impressed with his speech, people began to realize" the speech "hasn't done anything to stop the advance of the nuclear deal with Iran."

He also said the speech highighted U.S.-Israeli tensions, which may have been a strategic mistake. Shalev explained that while "it's true that Israelis don't like President Obama that much," he thought the speech highlighted that "he's gone a bit too far in challenging the president, and I think that that is working against him."

On the other hand, Shalev noted, "I wouldn't want to exaggerate one way or the other." He added, "The speech was never going to make the elections for him and it's not going to break him. There are a lot of other issues at play here."

Click below for the full interview.