hello, i'm del walters in new york. it is one of the hottest tickets in town if that town happened to be washington, d.c. benjamin netenyahu set to address both houses of congress. we want to take you live now to capitol hill where he will be the guest of the 114th joint meeting of congress but a number of democrats say they are swiping the speech. house speaker john binder invited the prime minister without informing the white house which is a violation of protocol. mike viqueira is life outside that gathering at the russell rotunda. a very hot ticket in town

indeed, but the vice president will be among those who will be notably absent. >> reporter: yeah it is be boycotted about around 40 democrats. speaker john boehner inviting benjamin netenyahu to come and address this joint meeting of congress. he wants to try to derail what he thinks is an merging deal between iran and the west lead by the united states. ongoing right now at this moment in switzerland, trying to put iran's nuclear program -- put some controls on that. del you mention it is a shot ticket. town on the floor there will be empty spaces because of the controversy surrounding this speech. and you mentioned the absence of joe biden, you can see house

speaker john boehner in front of the flag where he is traditionally for these joint meetings when foreign dignitaries address the senate. but to his right orewin hatch. the vice president has chosen to attend to business in guatemala overseas due to the fact the administration is very upset how this happened. you see oreinhatch there as the most senior member in the democratic party fulfilling that role. we will see an escort committee escort benjamin netenyahu into the chamber. he'll be announced by the sergeant in arms. it will be interesting to see the reaction he gets here. >> mike we should point out

that the reason those democrats are upset has nothing to do with their position towards israel but the protocol. also along those lines do we have any indication at this hour, as to whether or not the president will be listening? >> reporter: that's a very interesting question. if you look at his schedule he has intelligence briefings in the morning, nothing at 11:00 presumably he would be free to watch this speech, although his press secretary when asked about it said he doubts the president will be watching. the president did give an interview yesterday. there was a theme yesterday, everyone trying to play down the controversy here. emphasize emphasizing on both sides, both on benjamin netenyahu's side as

well as the president, the secretary of state of john kerry, who is in switzerland, all trying to play down the divisions in the relationship. while expressing their dismay at the way this happened. the president saying always such invitations would go through the executive branch that of course did not happen at this time. and a lot of democrats are very upset about the process and the potential damage to u.s./israel relation shps. the long time member from chicago, said she had support for israel in her dna, but is not showing up for this speech. one other thing, del, we have to mention. this was explicitly warned by secretary kerry yesterday and the press secretary as well there are indications that benjamin netenyahu plans to

reveal as he understands them some of the details -- secret details of the negotiations now on going, public warnings unprecedented really from top officials, they do not want netenyahu to do that. so it remains to be seen whether he will go that far. that would be a very controversial move del. >> we saw the galley up there. we also want to go to jane isner. how it is playing in peoria and how is this playing in jerusalem? >> i think that's part of the question here. it's probably no coincidence this speech is being given when it's prime time in israel and i think that many of the democrats and those of us who are concerned about the timing of

this speak are concerned because it does very much seem to play into the electoral campaign. israelis go to the polls on march 17th. benjamin netenyahu's party is going neck and neck with his labor rival. and i think there is a lot of concern that he is using this speech in part to help boost his electoral chances in just a couple of weeks. >> i want to show you something that the former minister of justice for israel said she says a responsible prime minister who thinks of the good of his country's citizens does not do such a thing. a responsible prime minister would know to work with the president of the united states and to protect our most important interest. clearly this is drawing sharp political divides inside of israel. >> they are very sharp. and israel has a pretty rambunctious political scene,

and it's parliamentary election as well. so he just needs to get enough votes to be able to pull together a coalition as he has been able to do several times now in the past. so you certainly saw anyone -- not only to his left as tiffany is but also members of his party, cite sizing the timing of this speech. >> we are seeing the prime minister enter the house chamber chambers, where he is being greeted warmly as one might expect there is no hostility towards the prime minister. but as you see this is there a sense in israel that he is taking advantage of this world stage for political reasons, and not necessarily for national security reasons, which is what he says his number one priority is. >> yes, i think there is a sense among some israelis that feel exactly as you describe. i think there are also other

israelis that are very proud of him for standing up to the united states, the european nations, and trying to create a situation in which they think israel's security will be most safeguarded. many people do think that iran is an existential threat to israel, and any kind of nuclear, not just bomb but any nuclear capability would be a threat not only to israel but to many other people in the region so there are israelis who are going to be very proud of him today, and others who will be very dismayed. >> i'm curious as i watch him make his entrance. is there a sense that benjamin netenyahu is being used by the republican party? >> i think that feeling was certainly there at first because of the timing of the invitation coming just after the state of the union, but at this point, i think netenyahu has made this

his own. remember this first invitation was in february. and he asked for it to be delayed until today, and there certainly is a question about whether or not that was because it fit best with the timing of the election. >> mike viqueira same question to you. is there a sense that netenyahu is being used by a republican-lead congress in this case to gain political points? >> yeah del, we see harry fawcett no such compunction there. he is not boycotting this speech. he'll meet two on one with his republican counterpart after this speech privately with benjamin netenyahu. and del, we talk a lot about the -- the 45 or so democrats largely who are boycotting this speech. those who are there in the chamber, no question they are four square behind this speech and israel. if you follow the twitter feed of some of these members, as i

am duty bound to due, there must have been 50 of them talking about i'm making my over to the house chamber where i plan to listen to benjamin netenyahu. and as you see benjamin netenyahu greet john boehner, the man who engineered this invitation, a lot of what we can expect to hear is a tutorial if you will on uranium enrichment on such phrases as heavy water, and a history of iran's nuclear program, which after all they did develop in secret until it was revealed in 2002 and i think we can expect to hear that theme over and over again. >> i have the distinct honor of presenting to you, the prime minister of israel, his excellency, benjamin netenyahu. [ cheers and applause ]

>> spoker of the house, john boehner, president protemp, senator orinhatch, mitch mcconnell, house minority leader nancy pelosi and house majority leader kevin mccarthy, i also want to acknowledge senator democratic leader harry fawcett. harry it is good to see you back on your feet. [ applause ]

>> i guess it's true what they say, you can't keep a good man down. [ laughter ] >> my friends i'm deeply humbled by the opportunity to speak for a third time before the most-important legislative body in the world, the u.s. congress. [ applause ] >> i want to thank you all for being here today. i know that my speech has been the subject of much controversy. i deeply regret that some perceive my being here as political. that was never my intention. i want to thank you democrats and republicans, for your common support for israel year after

year decade after decade. [ applause ] >> i know that no matter on which side of the aisle you sit, you stand with israel. [ applause ] >> the remarkable alliance between israel and the united states as always been above politics.

it must always remain above politics. [ applause ] >> because america and israel we share a common destiny, the destiny of promiselands that cherish freedom and offer hope. israel is grateful for the support of american -- of america's people and of america's presidents from harry truman to barack obama. [ applause ] >> we appreciate all that president obama has done for israel. now some of that is widely known. [ applause ] >> some of that is widely known, like strengthening security cooperation and intelligence sharing, opposing anti-israeli

resolutions at the u.n. some of what the president has done for israel is less well-known. i called him in 2010 when we had the caramel forest fire and he immediately agreed to respond to my request for urgent aid. in 2011, we had our embassy in cairo under siege, and again, he provided vital assistance at the crucial moment. or his support for more missile interceptions during our operation last summer when we took on hamas terrorists. [ applause ] >> in each of those moments, i called the president and he was there. and some of what the president has done for israel might never be known because it touches on some of the most sensitive and strategic issues that arise

between an american president and an israeli prime minister. but i know it. and i will always be grateful to president obama for that support. [ applause ] >> and israel is grateful to you, the american congress for your support, for supporting us in so many ways especially in generous military assistance, and missile offense, including iron dome. [ applause ] >> last summer millions of israelis were protected from thousands of hamas rockets because this capitol dome helped build our iron dome.

[ applause ] >> thank you america. thank you for everything you have done for israel. my friends i have come here today because as prime minister of israel i feel a profound obligation to speak to you about an issue that could well threaten the survival of my country, and the future of my people. iran's quest for nuclear weapons. we're an ancient people. in our nearly 4,000 years of history, many have tried repeatedly to destroy the jewish people. tomorrow night on the jewish

holiday, we'll read the book of esther, we'll read of a power man named aman who plotted to destroy the jewish people some 2500 people again. but the queen exposed the plot and gained for the jewish people the right to defend themselves against their enemies. the plot was foiled our people were saved. [ applause ] >> today the jewish people face another attempt by yet another persian to destroy us. iran's supreme leader ayatollah

ayatollahhamani, spews the oldest hatred of anti-semimettism, with the newest technology. he tweets that israel must be annihilated. he tweets. in iran there isn't exactly free internet, but he tweets in english that israel must be destroyed. for those who believe that iran's threatens the jewish state, but not the jewish people, listen to the leader of hezbollah, iran's chief terrorist proxy, he said if all of the jews gather in israel it will save us the trouble of chasing them down around the world. but iran's regime is not merely a jewish problem, any more than the nazi regime was merely a jewish problem. the 6 million jews murdered by

the nazis were but a fraction of the 60 million people killed in world war ii. so too iran's regime poses a great threat not only to israel but to the peace of the entire world. to understand just how dangerous iran would be with nuclear weapons, we must fully understand the nature of the regime. the people of iran are very talented people. but in 1979, they were hijacked by religious zealots who imposed on them a dark and brutal dictatorship. that year the zealots drafted a new constitution for iran. it directed the revolutionary guards not only to protect iran's borders, but also to fulfill the idealogical mission of jihad. the regime's founder exsorted

his followers to export the revolution throughout the world. i'm standing here in washington, d.c., and the difference is so stark. merck's founding document promises life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. iran's founding document pledging death, tyranny, and the pursuit of jihad. and iran is charging into the void to do just that. iran's goons in gaza it's lackeys in lebanon, it's revolutionary guards in the golan heights are clutching israel with three tentacles of terror. backed by iran assad is slaughtering syrians. backed by iran shia militias are a rampaging through iraq. houthis are seizing control of yemen, backed by iran.

along with the straights, that would give iran a second choke point on the world's oil supply. just last week iran carried out a military exercise blowing up a mock u.s. aircraft carrier. that's just last week. while they are having nuclear talks with the united states. but unfortunately for the last 36 years, iran's attacks against the itself have been anything but mock and the targets have been all too real. iran took dozens of americans hostage in tehran, murdered hundreds of american soldiers marines in beirut, and was responsible for killing and maiming thousands of american service men and women in iran and afghanistan. iran attacks america and its allies through its global terror

network. it blew up the israeli embassy in buenos aireses. it even attempted to assassinate the saudi ambassador right here in washington, d.c. in the middle east iran now dominates four arab capitols, baghdad, damascus beirut and sana'a. and if even iran's aggression is left unchecked, more will surely follow. so at a time when many hope that iran will join the community of nations, iran is busy gobbling up the nations. [ applause ] >> we must all stand together to stop iran's march of conquest subjugation and terror. [ applause ]

>> now two years ago, we were told to give president rouhani, and the foreign minister a chance to bring change and moderation to iran. some change. some moderation. rouhani's government persecutes christians jails journalists, and executes even more prisoners than before. last year the same zarif, which charms western diplomats, laid a wreath at the grave of the terrorist mastermind who spilled more american blood than any other terrorist besides osama

bin laden. i would like to see someone ask him a question about that. iran's regime is as radical as ever. it cries of death to america. the same america that it calls the great satan. this shouldn't be surprising because the ideology of iran's revolutionary regime is deeply routed in militant islam, and that's why this regime will always be an enemy of america. and don't be fooled. the battle between iran and isis doesn't turn iran into a friend of america. iran and isis are completing for the crown of militant islam. one calls it's a the islamic republic the other calls its the islamic state. both want to impose islamic law on the empire.

they disagree who will be the ruler of that empire. in this deadly game of thrones, there is no place for america or israel, no peace for christians jews or muslims who don't share the islamist medieval creed, no rights for women, no freedom for anyone. so when it comes to iran and isis, the enemy of your enemy is your enemy. [ applause ] >> the difference is that isis is armed with butcher knives captured weapons and youtube. whereas iran could soon be armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear bombs. we must always remember i'll

say it one more time the greatest danger facing our world is the marriage of militant islam with nuclear weapons. to defeat isis and let iran get nuclear weapons would be to win the battle but lose the war. we can't let that happen. [ applause ] >> but that my friends, is exactly what could happen if the deal now being negotiated is accepted by iran. that deal will not prevent iran from developing nuclear weapons. it would all but guarantee that iran gets those weapons, lots of them. let me explain why.

while the final deal has not yet been signed certain elements of any potential deal are now a matter of public record. you don't need intelligence agencies and secret information to know this. you can google it. [ laughter ] >> absent to dramatic change we know for sure that any deal with -- with iran will include two major concessions to iran. the first major concession would leave iran with a vast nuclear infrastructure providing it with a short break-out time to the bomb. break-out time is the time it takes to amass enough weapons grade uranium or plutonium for a nuclear bomb. according to the deal not a single nuclear facility would be demolished.

thousands of centrifuges would be left spinning. thousands more would be search rarely disconnected but not destroyed. because iran's nuclear program would be left largely intact iran's break-out time would be very short, about a year by u.s. assessment even shorter by israel's. and if -- if iran's work on advanced centrifuges is not stopped, that break-out time could still be shorter, a lot shorter. true, certain restrictions would be imposed on iran's nuclear program. and iran's adherence to those restrictions would be supervised by international inspectors, but here is the problem. see, inspectors document violations. they don't stop them. inspectors knew when north korea broke to the bomb but that didn't stop anything. north korea turned off the cameras, kicked out the

inspectors, within a few years, it got the bomb. now we're warned that within five years north korea could have an arsenal of 100 nuclear bombs. like north korea, iran too as defied international inspectors it has done that in 2005, 2006, 2010. like north korea, iran broke the locks, shut off the cameras. now i know this is not going to come as a shock to any of you, but iran not only defies inspectors, it also place a pretty good game of hide and cheat with them. the u.n.'s nuclear watch dog agency said again yesterday that iran still refuses to come clean about its military nuclear program. iran was also caught -- caught twice, not once