Netanyahu: Speech to Congress won't 'disrespect' Obama
WASHINGTON — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his speech before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday is intended to make clear Iran's threat to Israel — not to disrespect President Obama.
"As prime minister of Israel, I have a moral obligation to speak up in the face of these dangers while there's still time to avert them," Netanyahu told thousands of cheering delegates attending the annual meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobbying group.
Netanyahu said he would ask Congress to ensure the United States stands tough in its talks with Iran over Tehran's nuclear program.
"I plan to speak about an Iranian regime that's threatening to destroy Israel, that's devouring country after country in the Middle East, that is exporting terror throughout the world and that is developing as we speak the capacity to make nuclear weapons," he said.
His speech Tuesday has become a major source of friction between the Israeli leader and the White House. Netanyahu accepted an invitation from House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, to speak before Congress without clearing it with the White House, as is customary for foreign leaders.
Obama and other top administration officials have refused to meet with Netanyahu, saying the visit is too political in the run-up to the Israeli elections March 17. Some congressional Democrats plan to boycott his address Tuesday.
"Never has so much been written about a speech that hasn't been given," Netanyahu said. "My speech is not intended to show any disrespect to President Obama or the esteemed office he holds. I have great respect for both.
"Israel has always been a bipartisan issue. Israel should always remain a bipartisan issue," Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu assured the annual meeting of the pro-Israel lobbying group that the U.S.-Israeli alliance "is stronger than ever" and will be stronger.
"You are here to tell the world that reports of the demise of Israeli-U.S. relations are not only premature, they're just wrong," Netanyahu said.
Earlier, Obama's United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power sought to downplay tensions between the administration and Israel. Power told the conference that the recent media focus on U.S.-Israeli disagreements obscured the two nations' commitment to preventing Iran from ever obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Israel's security and the U.S.-Israeli alliance "transcends politics, and it always will," Power said to a standing ovation. "The United States of America will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon."
Power said the administration consistently fights anti-Israel sentiments at the United Nations.
Speaking later to AIPAC, Obama's national security adviser, Susan Rice, pushed for continuing a diplomatic approach with Iran and reiterated an earlier warning by Secretary of State John Kerry against revealing the substance of the talks.
"Negotiations continue. And nothing is agreed until everything is agreed," Rice said Monday night. "As of today, significant gaps remain between the international community and Iran. I'm not going to get into details about ongoing negotiations — nor should sensitive details of an ongoing negotiation be discussed in public."
Rice reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel, calling the commitment to Israel's security "sacrosanct."
"The bottom line is simple," she said. "We have Israel's back, come hell or high water."
Kerry, who said he spoke to Netanyahu on Saturday, was in Geneva on Monday, negotiating with Iran on its nuclear program. Iran, which claims it is developing nuclear power only for peaceful purposes, wants strict economic sanctions imposed by the West lifted.
The Obama administration, which worries that Iran is trying to develop a nuclear weapon, wants restrictions on the program and inspections to verify a deal in return for a gradual lifting of the sanctions. Netanyahu has complained that the United States makes too many concessions and that Iran can't be trusted to honor an agreement to curb a nuclear program posing an "existential" threat to Israel.
Kerry said the United States and Israel agree that the main goal is preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. An interim deal with Iran, opposed by Israel, has slowed Iran's nuclear program, Kerry said.
The United States will continue a diplomatic approach, Kerry said. "No deal is better than a bad deal," Kerry said. "We're not going to make a bad deal."
The two sides face a deadline of March 24 for reaching the broad outlines of a deal. A final agreement is to be completed by June.
Contributing: John Bacon in McLean, Va.