On the final day of the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference, Defense Sec. Leon Panetta and three of the four top GOP candidates addressed the conference's 13,000 supporters.
Monday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made remarks to the group and addressed the current state of the Israel and Iran.
On Sunday, President Obama addressed the conference hall and said his policy toward Iran is not one of containment but of preventing the nation from developing a nuclear weapon. He also defended his policies toward Israel and stated the U.S. commitment to preserve Israel’s security.
In a side conversation, President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu met Monday morning to discuss the status of the U.S.-Israel alliance. The president reiterated that the U.S. did not want the possibility of nuclear weapons "falling into terrorist's hands" and said there is a still a window that allows some negotiation. Pres. Obama also said he continues to reserve all options in dealing with Iran.
GOP Presidential candidate Rick Santorum will appear in person at AIPAC on Tuesday. Both Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich will appear via satellite.
The policy conference is the largest gathering for America's leading pro-Israel lobby, which works with both major parties to secure public policy that strengthens the U.S.-Israel relationship.
AIPAC has announced that up to 14,000 people are attending this year's three-day conference, a crowd nearly twice the usual size.