Israeli PM Netanyahu: "My Speech Is Not Intended To Show Any Disrespect to President Obama, or to the Esteemed Office That He Holds; I Have Great Respect for Both"

Aimee Herd : Mar 2, 2015
Fox News

"Never has so much been written about a speech that hasn't been given!" –Netanyahu.

(Washington, DC)—Speaking to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), prior to his controversial speech to US Congress on Tuesday, Israeli PM Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu declared his respect for President Obama and the office of the US presidency.

His words came in light of the political storm surrounding Netanyahu's acceptance of House Speaker Boehner's invitation to speak to Congress ahead of Obama's efforts to secure a deal with Iran.

Bibi began by thanking supporters of Israel, and also his wife, Sarah, stating that her "courage in the face of adversity is an inspiration to me… I'm so proud to have you with me today; to have you with me, at my side always."

Taking head-on, the debate regarding his speech to Congress, Bibi chided, "Never has so much been written about a speech that hasn't been given!"

But the Prime Minister reiterated his bond with America's president saying, "My speech is not intended to show any disrespect to President Obama, or to the esteemed office that he holds; I have great respect for both."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, the purpose of my address to Congress tomorrow is to speak up about a potential deal with Iran that could threaten the survival of Israel. Iran is the foremost state-sponsor of terrorism in the world…"

"I have a moral obligation to speak up in the face of these dangers while there is still time to avert them," Bibi went on. "For 2,000 years my people, the Jewish people, were stateless, defenseless, voiceless. Today, we are no longer silent. Today we have a voice. And tomorrow, as prime minister of the one and only Jewish state, I plan to use that voice."