Binyamin Netanyahu has reaffirmed his intention to address a joint session of the US Congress next month on the subject of Iranian nuclear talks, despite opposition in both Israel and the US.



At his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu made no mention of the tensions with Washington but insisted he would “do everything and will take any action to foil this bad and dangerous agreement that will place a heavy cloud over the future of the state of Israel and its security”.

Netanyahu has continued to object to any efforts by the P5+1 – the group of six world powers negotiating a deal with Iran over its nuclear programme – to strike a bargain that imposes restrictions on Tehran’s enrichment of uranium in exchange for lifting sanctions, arguing that anything short of wiping out its arsenal still leaves the Islamic republic with the capacity to produce nuclear weapons in a matter of time.

He also told a group of French-speaking Likud voters on Sunday night that he would go anywhere in the world where he was invited to speak about the Iranian threat, not just as an Israeli but as a leader of all Jews.



According to a poll by Army Radio published on Monday, 47% of Israelis believe Netanyahu should cancel the speech, scheduled for 3 March, and 34% think he should go ahead with it. However, a majority of 63% say the speech doesn’t factor in to their decision on whether to vote for Netanyahu in elections due later next month.



There has been much speculation in recent days as to whether Netanyahu will back out. The Israeli opposition leader, Isaac Herzog, said the planned speech was a “strategic mistake” that would damage US-Israel relations, and in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper the rightwing columnist Ben Dror Yemini told Netanyahu: “You’re right but don’t go.”

The Meretz leader, Zahava Gal-On, has appealed to the central elections committee to ban the broadcast of Netanyahu’s speech in Israel because she claims it constitutes election propaganda.

Officials in Washington reportedly offered Netanyahu closed-door meetings with senior House members in exchange for calling off the address, Army Radio reported. It said the offer was made before Joe Biden, the US vice-president, announced he would not be attending the speech because he was abroad, a move seen in Israel as an affront to the prime minister. Neither Netanyahu’s office nor the foreign ministry confirmed or denied the report.

In addition to Biden, several top Democratic Congressman have confirmed their absence. Prominent American Jewish leaders, among them the Reform Movement leader, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, and the Anti-Defamation League head, Abraham Foxman, have called on Netanyahu to cancel the speech.

After it emerged that Netanyahu accepted the invitation to speak by Republican House speaker John Boehner without first notifying the White House and State Department, the Obama administration responded that this was a “breach of protocol” and the president added it would be “inappropriate” for him to meet the prime minister just two weeks before Israel’s elections.

In his speech, Netanyahu is expected to levy explicit criticism of the Obama administration’s policy on Iran nuclear talks and reiterate his call to reimpose and add new sanctions on Iran. Obama promises to veto a sanctions bill, if it goes through Congress while the negotiations are still under way, although he may not be able to given the Republicans’ strength in the Senate.

• This article was amended on 12 February 2015 . An earlier version said Netanyahu was expected to reiterate his call to reimpose and add new sanctions on Iran while negotiations were under way. The sanctions bill he supports would impose sanctions if the international negotiations do not reach agreement.