Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is headed to Washington where he is set to give a controversial address to a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress. The prime minister said Sunday at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport that he was on a "historic mission" to try and stop a nuclear deal with Iran. The White House was angry that Republican House Speaker John Boehner did not consult with it before extending the invitation to Netanyahu to speak to the lawmakers. Some Democratic lawmakers plan to boycott the Netanyahu speech on Tuesday. National Security Adviser Susan Rice has called Netanyahu's plans "destructive to the fabric of the relationship." Rice said this past week that the relationship between the U.S. and Israel “has always been bipartisan,” but that it has been hampered by recent partisan moves. Netanyahu, who is facing reelection later this month, said Sunday he would do "everything in my power" to insure Israel's future. Israel top obligation On Saturday, the Israeli prime minister said he respected President Barack Obama and believed in strong ties with the U.S., but he said Israel's security was his top obligation. Netanyahu made a rare pilgrimage to pray at the Western Wall, Jerusalem's holiest site, before his visit to Washington. "As prime minister of Israel, it is my obligation to see to the security of Israel; therefore, we strongly oppose the agreement being formulated with Iran and the major powers, which could endanger our [Israel's] very existence," he said Saturday. Referring to the Nazi Holocaust, he said, "Eighty years ago, no one could raise their voice when there were plans to destroy us. Today there is and it is my obligation." The United States and its so-called P5+1 partners are looking to reach a deal with Iran to keep it from building a nuclear weapon. Nuclear bomb threat Netanyahu said it would be a bad deal that would give the Iranians too many concessions and leave them with the ability to make a bomb. He said such a deal would endanger Israel's existence. The Obama administration insisted it would not let Iran build a bomb, and said it was committed to Israel's security. The P5+1 (the U.S., Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany) are facing a June 30 deadline for a deal that cuts Iran's uranium enrichment program in exchange for lifting sanctions that have destroyed the Iranian economy. Iran insists it has no plans to build atomic weapons. It said its nuclear program is strictly for peaceful civilian purposes. Some material for this story came from AP, AFP and Reuters.
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1ECh8kb
from Voice of America http://ift.tt/1ECh8kb
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