(JNS.org) Against the backdrop of the Obama administration’s opposition to his upcoming address before Congress on the Iranian nuclear program and radical Islam, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on International Holocaust Remembrance Day that Israel “must speak out” against the threats it faces.

“We share a special bond with the United States, which is built on common values, and it’s reflected in our expansive cooperation, especially on matters of security. … Yet it is the government of Israel that holds the ultimate responsibility for the security of the one and only Jewish state,” Netanyahu said Tuesday at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. “And here we must speak out and must speak our mind about the dangers to our people and our state. This is something we could not do at the time of the Holocaust.”

The White House believes that Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) breached “protocol” by inviting Netanyahu, who accepted the invitation and will speak before a joint session of Congress on March 3.

Pastor John Hagee, the founder and national chairman of Christians United for Israel, told JNS.org that the speech will be Netanyahu’s “opportunity to express to America and the world his vision for the restoration of peace in the Middle East and the world.”

Netanyahu said Tuesday, “The ayatollahs in Iran, they deny the Holocaust while planning another genocide against our people. Let me be clear. The Jewish people will defend themselves by themselves against any threat. That’s what the Jewish state is all about.”