U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power is getting a very good reception at AIPAC in DC today.
Israeli PM has just been introduced here at AIPAC. The crowd is standing, clapping, cheering. This is the most animated the room has been all morning.
PM Netanyahu says tomorrow's speech isn't to show disrespect to Pres. Obama, or to inject Israel into the American partisan debate. "The purpose is to speak up about a potential deal with Iran that could threaten the survival of Israel."
Netanyahu says US worries about its defence, while Israel worries about its survival.
PM Netanyahu tells the crowd at AIPAC that the US and Israel are family. That "our alliance is sound, our friendship is strong."
PM Netanyahu ends his speech, crowd gives him a standing ovation.
National Security Advisor Susan Rice is getting introduced at the AIPAC conference right now.
Rice got a very warm reception here at AIPAC. Not as warm as Israeli PM Netanyahu, but still very warm.
Rice is telling the crowd her 17 yr old son insisted on coming to AIPAC -- that got a lot of applause.
Rice is the second person today to recall that Truman recognized Israel only 11 minutes after former Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion declared Israel's independence.
Rice says that the US-Israeli relationship is "not negotiable and never will be." She says that the alliance continues to grow from generation to generation.
Rice: "Strengthening the security of Israel is in the national interest of the United States." -- that got applause from the crowd.
Rice: Since Obama took office, the US has provided Israel with more than 20 million dollars of foreign military assistance.
Rice says the US will never give up on a just & comprehensive peace between Israel and Palestinians.
Rice just said the US is opposed to settlement activity -- that did not get a great reception. But talking about backing Israel at the International Criminal Court did get a better reception.
Iran with a nuclear weapon isn't just a threat to Israel, says Rice, but also a threat to the US.
Rice: "A bad deal is worse than no deal" -- talking about a nuclear deal with Iran. -- That got a standing ovation from most of the crowd.
Rice: "Iran is further away from a nuclear weapon than it was a year ago and that makes the world safer, including Israel."
When it comes to the Iran deal, Rice says the approach is to "mistrust but verify". -- that got a laugh from some in the crowd.
Rice says the US is working towards a good, long term, comprehensive deal that will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
Big applause from the crowd as Rice says that she knows many of the people here at AIPAC will be lobbying Congress to prevent Iran from getting any nuclear deal. But, tepid applause when she said that that wasn't realistic.
According to Rice, Iran will build centrifuges, re-build it's uranium stockpile and take away the transparency they have today if there is no deal.
Rice also stressed if Iran walks away from a deal, Congress will impose sanctions and Pres. Obama will support them.
Rice: "We will counter Iran and the full range of threats it poses."
Standing ovation when Rice mentioned that Secretary of State John Kerry made comments today in Geneva to the UN Human Rights Council to stop going after Israel.
Rice: "In the spirit of brotherhood we have overcome so many trials to be where we are as nations ... let us continue the work, let us never succumb to hopelessness or cynicism."
Rice: "Let us keep marching, arm in arm, together." -- Crowd is giving her another standing ovation as she walks off the stage.