There is widespread coverage of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming address to Congress on Tuesday over Iran’s nuclear development. The speech remains the source of controversy, with some viewing it as evidence of Netanyahu’s collusion with US President Obama’s political opponents. The Times and the Guardian both emphasise that there is opposition towards Netanyahu’s Congressional address within Israel, with around 200 former military and security officers releasing a critical statement yesterday which said Netanyahu “puts Israel at risk” by endangering US-Israel relations. Meanwhile, the Financial Times and Telegraph focus on comments made by US Secretary of State John Kerry, who urged that the emerging nuclear deal with Iran be given the “benefit of the doubt” as it is preferable to “a military strategy.”

Writing in the Guardian, Christopher de Bellaigne contends that Netanyahu is opposing an agreement which would actually be good for Israel, as it could contain Iran’s atomic ambitions. Meanwhile, in the Independent, Robert Fisk says that the current tension will have no long-lasting impact on US-Israel relations, with both Republican and Democrat leaders ultimately closely aligned with Israel.

The Guardian also includes an article on Israel’s upcoming elections on 17 March, outlining the challenge to Netanyahu from the Zionist Union and in particular leader Isaac Herzog, who has emphasised his desire to re-instigate peace talks if at all possible.

The Times reports that an Egyptian court has declared that Hamas is a terrorist organisation. Its military wing, the Qassam Brigades was already considered a terror entity in Egypt. The impact of the new ruling remains unclear with some Hamas officials based in Egypt. Egypt’s leaders have long accused Hamas of providing support to Islamist terror groups in Sinai.

The online editions of both the Financial Times and Independent report that the US-backed Syrian rebel group Hazm has suffered a serious blow fighting al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra near Aleppo. The Independent online says that Hazm has called for help, while the Financial Times online says it has dissolved itself entirely.

In the Israeli media, the top story is Prime Minister Netanyahu’s arrival in Washington ahead of his Congressional address and a speech at the annual gathering of pro-Israel group AIPAC later today. Maariv calls Netanyahu’s trip a “fateful mission,” while Haaretz previews speeches today at AIPAC by Netanyahu and US National Security Advisor Susan Rice. Israel Hayom leads with a Netanyahu aide warning of “dangerous compromises” on Iran, while Yediot Ahronot braces ahead of a US-Israel “head to head.” Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Shimon Shiffer is highly critical of Netanyahu, saying that his speech to Congress will illustrate his “two colossal failures as prime minister: Iran’s transformation into a nuclear threshold state under an umbrella of international legitimacy, and the destruction of the intricate relationship with the US administration.”

In other news, both Haaretz and Israel Hayom highlight a surprise large-scale military exercise in the West Bank, which included the call-up of thousands of reservists. The drill is designed to simulate the response to a sudden outbreak of widespread unrest in the West Bank, although the IDF denied that its timing was significant.

Israel Hayom and Israel Radio news both report that dozens of protestors have pitched tents on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv to protest the high cost of housing. The demonstration echoes the huge 2011 social protests, which began in the same fashion. The cost of housing and living in general remains a major general election campaign issue. Israel Hayom says that “the left is trying to revive” the spirit of 2011 and that the initiative’s leader is a Labour Party member.