Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Aipac conference in Washington today that the US and Israel were “like a family, practically a mishpacha”.

Mr Netanyahu, whose decision to address Congress tomorrow has caused a deep rift between the White house and Jerusalem, told the gathering of 16,000 delegates: “Our alliance is sound, our friendship is strong.”

The Israeli PM pointed out that the US and Israel have had spats in the past - for example, when Israeli launched a strike on an Iraqi reactor in 1981, and during Operation Defensive Shield in 2002.

“Despite occasional disagreements, the friendship between America and Israel grew stronger and stronger, decade after decade,” he said.

He said that the relationship would weather the current disagreement “because we share the same dream”.

Mr Netanyahu said that Iran was “threatening to destroy Israel, is devouring country after country in the Middle East”. He added that the country was developing the capability to build nuclear weapons “as we speak”.

He said that the purpose of his Congress speech was to address the potential nuclear deal between Iran and the US.

Iran is the “foremost state sponsor” of terror in the world, he said. “This is what Iran is doing now without nuclear weapons. Imagine what would happen if it had nuclear weapons.”