A speech delivered by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the annual gathering in Washington of the pro-Israel group AIPAC is widely covered as a pre-cursor to Netanyahu’s much anticipated Congressional address on Iran’s nuclear activity later today. Yesterday’s AIPAC speech is described by the Guardian as a “warm-up” and also covered in the Telegraph, Independent, Times, Financial Times, Independent i and Daily Mirror. Netanyahu used the speech to emphasise that he in no way intended to show disrespect to US President Obama by accepting the invitation to address Congress and that suggestions he intended to make Israel a partisan issue are “misperceived.”

The Independent notes that US Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Samantha Power also addressed AIPAC yesterday, emphasising the strength of US-Israel relations, while the Financial Times quotes criticism of Netanyahu’s trip from Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog and Yesh Atid head Yair Lapid.

Meanwhile, President Obama addressed the Iran nuclear talks and Netanyahu’s visit yesterday. The Financial Times and the online edition of the Guardian quote an interview with Reuters in which he said that the nascent Iran agreement would secure an arrangement “for 10 years or longer” and that the current furore over Netanyahu’s speech would not be “permanently destructive” towards US-Israel relations.

There is plenty of commentary on Netanyahu’s visit to Washington. An editorial in the Guardian calls it “quite a gamble” and suggests Netanyahu’s main motivation is votes back home. However, a Times editorial calls today’s Congressional address a “necessary speech” as Iran is a “hostile power rather than a putative ally” which remains the “leading sponsor of terrorism in the region.” In the Independent, Ben Lynfield says that Israelis are torn over the wisdom of Netanyahu’s trip. In the Financial Times, David Gardner says that Israel and Gulf states share concern over Iran, but that any closer relations depend on progress with the Palestinians.

The Telegraph reports that talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif are continuing and that an agreement is close. It would reportedly allow Iran to maintain 6,000 centrifuges and ensure a one year ‘break out’ time. Writing in the Telegraph, former Iranian spokesman at nuclear talks between 2003 and 2005, Sayed Hossein Mousavian says that failure to secure a deal now could lead to war or at least mean that any future talks would start from a more difficult negotiating point for the international community with Iran likely to leave the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The Guardian online reports that Kerry yesterday spoke at the UN Human Rights Council and sharply criticised the body for its “deeply concerning record on Israel,” which it consistently criticises more than any other country.

The Telegraph online says that three businessmen have been arrested in Israel for selling metal products to Hamas in the Gaza Strip which could be used to strengthen its military infrastructure, including metal pipes and tunnel elevators.

The Israeli media this morning is fully focused on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech yesterday to AIPAC and his address later today to Congress. It is the top item in Yediot Ahronot, Haaretz, Maariv and Israel Hayom. In Maariv, Ehud Sommer describes Netanyahu’s speech yesterday as “conciliatory” while Yediot Ahronot’s Nahum Barnea says Netanyahu could have done more to placate Washington, commenting “it wouldn’t have hurt had Netanyahu given Obama and his administration a few more compliments.” Meanwhile, Haaretz highlights comments made yesterday by President Obama, who said that the furore surrounding Netanyahu’s speech risks distracting attention from the goal of preventing Iran’s nuclear armament.

Another story covered by Israel Hayom, Yediot Ahronot and Maariv is the news that three Israelis have been arrested for smuggling materials to Hamas in the Gaza Strip, helping them build attack tunnels.

Meanwhile, Israel Radio news notes that party political television and radio adverts will begin this evening ahead of the 17 March general election. Each party will be allocated an initial seven minutes on television and 15 minutes on radio to broadcast their campaign messages.