WASHINGTON — The first time Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint meeting of the United States Congress, he called it "a tribute to the unshakable fact that the unique relationship between Israel and the United States transcends politics and parties, governments and diplomacy."
That was in 1996, just three weeks after his election as Israeli prime minister. Tuesday, he'll be back for his third speech to Congress, just two weeks before he faces re-election.
But this time, even before he delivers a word of his speech, his appearance is revealing partisan and diplomatic rifts in that unique relationship. More than two dozen Democrats are boycotting his speech, as Republicans have accused President Obama of not being supportive enough of Israel.
President Obama will not receive Netanyahu at the White House before the speech — as is customary for these occasions — because it's too close to the parliamentary elections in Israel March 17. "The U.S.-Israeli relationship is not about a particular party," Obama said.
Republicans have used the speech to highlight what they say is a "real conflict" between the two leaders, despite assurances by both leaders that they continue to have a good working relationship.
"The animosity between the White House and the prime minister is no secret in this town. But they've certainly made it worse in the last five weeks," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on CBS'Face the Nation Sunday. His invitation to Netanyahu bypassed the White House and State Department and resulted in near-daily headlines in the United States and Israel for more than a month.
Beyond the personality conflict lies a disagreement over how to deal with Iran's nuclear program. Many in Congress — egged on by Netanyahu — want to tighten sanctions against Iran in an effort to get a better deal. The White House says that course would unnecessarily provoke a military confrontation with Iran.
"There is a division of worldview and policy on how to deal with the threat that Iran poses," said Jeremy Ben-Ami, executive director of J Street, which describes itself as a "pro-Israel, pro-peace" lobbying group. "The divide over the approach has become personal and acrimonious, but it's real. This is no longer a philosophical or abstract argument."
Ben-Ami said that while Netanyahu's speech is controversial, the schism with Obama is exaggerated. "This is not that unusual. I think people have short memories. If you look back over 40 years there have been five or six times that the American government and the Israeli government were on very different pages," he said.
A bill to tighten sanctions against the Tehran regime has 49 co-sponsors in the Senate, including eight Democrats. But Obama has threatened to veto it, saying it would "all but guarantee that diplomacy fails."
Netanyahu's speech to Congress will come the same day that Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to continue that diplomacy. The United States and five other world powers — a group that does not include Israel — reached a temporary agreement in November 2013 to halt Iran's nuclear program and relax some sanctions,
A permanent deal has been elusive. Still, "Israel is safer today because of the interim agreement that we created," Kerry said Sunday on on ABC's This Week.
"The administration is not seeking to politicize this," Kerry said. "We want to recognize the main goal here is to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. And on that, Israel and the United States agree."
Before addressing Congress on Tuesday, Netanyahu will give a warm-up performance at the America Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual conference in Washington, where 16,000 supporters of Israel meet to lobby lawmakers.