On Tuesday morning, all American eyes will be on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Congress speech – a much-contested and publicised address which the leader agreed to upon the invitation from Republican leaders.
Netanyahu arrived in the United States on Monday with the aim of deploring Obama's ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program, which the leader – also known as 'Bibi'— thinks is the most dangerous threat to Israel. His planned speech has angered the White House and has been branded as a breach of protocol, as Speaker John Boehner did not seek advance approval from Obama administration before inviting him.
(Scroll Down for information on where to watch the speech live online)
Ahead of his speech scheduled for Tuesday morning, Obama questioned the legitimacy of Netanyahu's claims, saying his arguments against US' attempt to negotiate with Iran were weak.
"Netanyahu made all sorts of claims. This was going to be a terrible deal. This was going to result in Iran getting $50 billion worth of relief. Iran would not abide by the agreement. None of that has come true," Obama told Reuters on Monday stressing that the Israeli leader has been wrong before, particularly during his 2013 interim deal with Iran.
"It has turned out that in fact, during this period we've seen Iran not advance its program. In many ways, it's rolled back elements of its program."
Netanyahu, meanwhile chose a conciliatory tone by reiterating that the US-Israeli relationship has always been strong and will remain so. "Our friendship will weather the current disagreement as well, to grow even stronger in the future — because we share the same dreams... because the values that unite us are much stronger than the differences that divide us," he said during his address to the American Israel Public Affair Committee (AIPAC) summit.
Obama, along with many democrats, have vowed not to attend the speech while US secretary of State John Kerry has cautioned that the address should not turn into "some great political football".
Netanyahu's address to the joint meeting of Congress gets underway at around 10:45 am ET. The address can be watched live online via C-SPAN Live Coverage or C-SPAN live streaming option (with long-in of your television provider).
It may also be broadcast live on the US House of Representatives' Live Streaming webpage. There is also a YouTube Live Channel which reportedly will webcast the speech as the Israeli PM speaks, on Tuesday morning.
