Israeli prime minister received loud applause in Congress and Barack Obama issued a stinging rebuttal saying Netanyahu had said ‘nothing new’

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Binyamin Netanyahu has urged a packed US Congress to resist an emerging deal to contain Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons in a fiery speech that may significantly complicate ongoing international negotiations in Switzerland.

Despite a boycott by up to a quarter of House Democrats and eight senators, the Israeli prime minister received loud applause from both sides of the joint meeting of Congress when he pleaded with them to block any lifting of economic sanctions in return.

Between the lines of Binyamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress Read more

The White House insists a deal is still far from certain, but Netanyahu claimed that terms outlined yesterday by Barack Obama would “inevitably lead to a nuclear armed Iran whose unbridled aggression will inevitably lead to a nuclear war”.

“The foremost sponsor of international terrorism could be weeks away from having enough enriched uranium for an entire arsenal of nuclear weapons – and this with full international legitimacy,” he said.

“That’s why this deal is so bad: it doesn’t block Iran’s path to the bomb; it paves Iran’s path to the bomb.”

Shortly after the speech, Obama issued a stinging rebuttal, saying Netanyahu had said “nothing new”, and offered no new strategy for containing Iran’s nuclear programme.

“On the core issue, which is how to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon which would make it far more dangerous, the prime minister did not offer any viable alternatives,” he said.

Pointedly, Obama made it clear that he did not watch the speech, scheduling a conference call with European leaders on the crisis in Ukraine.

The White House has said it does not intend to put the deal to a vote in Congress, but opposition by more than two-thirds of lawmakers could override a presidential veto and complicate lifting sanctions nonetheless.

“We don’t yet have a deal,” Obama told reporters. “But if we are successful, then in fact this will be the best deal possible to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.”

In his speech, Netanyahu shrugged off accusations that he was playing politics both in the US and in Israel – just two weeks before Israeli elections – launching a full-throated attack on Iran and its alleged threat to the future of Israel.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Israeli prime minister received loud applause from both sides of the joint meeting of Congress. Photograph: Andrew Harnik/AP

“I know that my speech has been the subject of much controversy and I deeply regret that some perceive my speech as being political; that was never my intention,” he said. “I know that whichever side of the aisle you sit, you stand with Israel.”

“As prime minister of Israel I feel a profound obligation to speak to you about an issue that could well threaten my country and the survival of my people,” added Netanyahu, who began his speech by recalling a Persian plot to destroy the Jewish people 2,500 years ago and claimed Iran was still “busy gobbling up” nations across the Middle East.

“We must all stand together to stop Iran’s march of conquest subjugation and terror,” said the prime minister, using an analogy with the TV show Game of Thrones to reject suggestions that Iran could be a regional bulwark against the Islamic State. “Iran’s regime will always be an enemy of America. Don’t be fooled; the battle between Iran and Isis does not turn Iran into a friend of America. When it comes to Iran and Isis, the enemy of your enemy is your enemy.”

Specifically addressing suggestions by Obama that the deal may initially only be in place for the next 10 years, Netanyahu said “a decade may seem a long time in political world but it’s a blink of an eye in the life of a nation”.

But he avoided direct discussion of what the alternatives to such a deal might look like almost entirely, referring only vaguely to Israel’s need to defend itself – code for what many fear would mean a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities instead.

Netanyahu’s speech came shortly after US secretary of state John Kerry met his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Geneva, for more talks on a deal

Asked if the two sides had reached an agreement, Zarif said: “The only way to move forward is though negotiations.”

Addressing Congress, Netanyahu argued that any deal would inevitably turn the Middle East into a “nuclear tinderbox”, and claimed “the marriage of militant Islam and nuclear weapons” was the greatest threat facing the world.

At one point, the prime minister singled out the Nobel peace laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, who was sitting in the gallery next to Netanyahu’s wife, Sara.

A few minutes later, amid swelling applause, he added: “The days when the Jewish people remained passive in the face of genocidal enemies are over.”

Netanyahu’s rhetoric appeared to resonate with many in the room, and is likely to force Obama to have to respond equally persuasively to Congress if a deal is struck in Switzerland.

“Iran will become even more aggressive when it’s economy has been unshackled and it has a clear path to the bomb,” said Netanyahu. “This deal won’t be a farewell to arms; it will be a farewell to arms control.”

The reaction from Democrats who boycotted the speech was scathing.

“If you can make the people afraid you can make them do anything, that’s what Netanyahu was doing,” said Washington representative Jim McDermott in a press conference held immediately after the address.



Steve Cohen of Tennessee added: “I thought it would be political theatre and it indeed it was worthy of an Oscar.”



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Nancy Pelosi and House minority whip Steny Hoyer listen to Netanyahu speaking to Congress. Photograph: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

In a strongly worded statement released after the speech, Nancy Pelosi said the speech was an insult to “the intelligence of the United States”.

“That is why, as one who values the US – Israel relationship, and loves Israel, I was near tears throughout the prime minister’s speech – saddened by the insult to the intelligence of the United States as part of the P5 +1 nations, and saddened by the condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran and our broader commitment to preventing nuclear proliferation.”

But privately some Democrats are concerned that the rhetorical punch could complicate the political battle to reach a deal.



“I thought it was a very effective speech as far as appealing to American people and Israeli people and helping moving his position in Congress,” Cohen told the Guardian. “But I don’t think it helps at all with the administration. I don’t think it will move the needle there and might move the needle in the other direction.”

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In Tehran, Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who is seen as President Hassan Rouhani’s patron, said that Netanyahu’s tactics mirrored those employed by Iranian conservatives who also oppose a nuclear deal.

“We are facing all sorts of pressure from outside but inside the country there’s even a greater challenge,” Rafsanjani said on Tuesday. “Netanyahu is threatening Obama there [in Washington] and here [in Tehran] a group of people are threatening to reveal secrets,” he said. “They [the internal opponents] are echoing Netanyahu.”



Rafsanjani was referring to a large number of conservative Iranian lawmakers who have attacked Rouhani’s nuclear diplomacy and negotiating team in recent months. Many Iranian hardliners are opposed to a nuclear deal with the west, saying Tehran is giving away too much for too little.

Netanyahu’s appearance before Congress also prompted criticism at home. His main challenger in the Israeli elections on March 17, Zionist Union Yitzhak Herzog, said the speech would do little to prevent Iran’s nuclear programme.



Speaking at an Israeli community close to the Gaza border, Herzog – who is marginally ahead of Netnayahu in the polls – said: “There is no doubt that Netanyahu is a good speaker. Let’s be honest, the speech we heard today, as impressive as it was, did not stop the Iranian nuclear program.”

“The question is not if the emerging nuclear deal is bad. The question is how do we prevent a bad deal,” Herzog said.

“This speech is a very harsh wound to Israel – US relations,” he added. “It will not change the position of the administration and will only widen the rift with Israel’s greatest ally and strategic partner.”