President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu don't like each other, and that rift may have grown wider since Netanyahu delivered a speech to Congress that many Democrats argued was misleading and full of contradictions.
The over-30-minute-long speech Tuesday by Netanyahu basically panned a nuclear deal being negotiated by the U.S. and Iran, calling it a "nuclear nightmare" and adding that Iran's leadership was radical and "could not be trusted."
"If the deal now being negotiated is accepted by Iran, that deal will not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons—it will all but guarantee that Iran will get those nuclear weapons, lots of them," Netanyahu said.
"This deal won't be a farewell to arms, it will be a farewell to arms control … a countdown to a potential nuclear nightmare," he said. According to Reuters, Netanyahu's speech, in front of lawmakers and visitors to the House of Representatives, drew 26 standing ovations.
According to Reuters, President Obama, who did not meet with the Israeli leader, offered a 10-minute rebuttal blasting the prime minister's speech for offering no new alternatives. The president added that he didn't watch the speech, but said that he did read the transcript.
"The prime minister appropriately pointed out that the bond between the United States of America is unbreakable, and on that point I thoroughly agree," Obama said.
"But on the core issue," he continued, "which is how do we prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, which would make it far more dangerous and would give it scope for even greater action in the region, the prime minister didn't offer any viable alternatives."
Netanyahu's visit and speech before Congress came by way of a Republican invitation, bypassing the White House, a move that many Democrats viewed as an affront to the president, according to Reuters.
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi told the news service that Netanyahu's speech was "an insult to the intelligence of the United States," and said she was "saddened by the condescension toward our knowledge of the threat posed by Iran."
Read more at Reuters.