by visiting israel. [laughter] it's a chonda! don't fall for it, my chosen brethren, my he-bros. [laughter] he doesn't get you. [cheers and applause] this man doesn't get it. israel is a divided country that feels beseiged by terrorists, and whose politics are increasingly dictated by a small, hard-right minority. obama can't relate to that! [laughter] and if you need more proof that the president is no friend of israel, just do the math: back in 2007, president bush supported israel with $2.3 billion in foreign military aid. this year, president obama wants to bring that down to just $3.1 billion. [laughter] i know, it looks like it's going up, but remember, in hebrew you read charts from right to left. [cheers and applause] all right? [cheers and applause] and our worst fears about obama were confirmed when he appointed as secretary of defense former senator and man who just learned his dog died-- chuck hagel. [laughter] hagel has a history of troubling statements. he once said the jewy lobby intimidat

do visit israel. barack obama actually first went to israel in 2006 when he was still an illinois senator. he went again in 2008 when he was running for president. you'll know chris christie is serious about running for president when he schedules a trip to israel. mitt romney went to israel last year in a desperate attempt to exploit a republican lie, that there was some kind of difference between president obama and it's really prime minister benjamin netanyahu about what the borders of israel should be. romney was aided and abetted in that lie by netanyahu, who is an old friend of romney's. they worked together 30 years ago at a boston consulting firm. as we reviewed last night, netanyahu left no room for doubt, he wanted mitt romney to be the next president of the united states. and romney delivered a speech in israel that echoed netanyahu's talking points at that time on iran. >> we should employ any and all measures to dissuade the iranian regime from its nuclear course, and it is our fervent ho

israel channel 2. >> mr. president, may i ask you about syria, a practical question and a moral one. for the last two years, tens of thousands of innocent civilians are being massacred. no one in the united states is doing anything to stop it immediately. on a practical level, you have said today and also in the past that the use of chemical weapons would be a crossing of a red line. it seems like this line was crossed yesterday. what specifically do you intend to do about it? >> i'll answer the question in reverse order if you don't mind. i'll talk about the chemical weapons first and then the larger question. with respect to chemical weapons, we intend to investigate thoroughly exactly what happened. obviously in syria right now you have a war zone. you have information filtered out, but we have to make sure we know exactly what happened, what was the nature of the incident, what can we document, what can we prove? so i've instructed my teams to work closely with all of the countries in the region and inter

israel really is an skoesten shl issue. that is a question in israel's mind. whether the united states will change its policies at the moment, of course, that will depend on progress in iran. and there is real progress. the question is in iran, how close are they actually to in terms of enriching uranium to that 20% level. how much of it and how soon will they reach the 93% level which means they can make a bomb very quickly. and american intelligence, pretty -- they are pretty close to agreeing on what is happening in iran. what they don't necessarily agree on is what to do about it. >> we should note here for viewers at home, that the joint news conference that was supposed to have started at 2:00 or 2:05, we just received word that it will start at 2:25 instead. the joint news conference between netanyahu and president obama. when it happens, we will bring it to you live as well. louise, let me bring you in here to the conversation. what can we expect the president to say about the expansion of settlements, on palestinian land, another major issue on the ag

that israel is an economic hub. the palestinians are among the most educated populations in the worldful there is great potential here if these two opposing sides would actually work together. that's why he has been stressing economic development as a possibility. >> now a $40 billion a year mutual trade relationship that dennis ross helped nurture along. thank you, dennis, and i should say nbc middle east adviser in chicago, jeffrey goldberg here. we'll be right back. no. there was that fuzzy stuff on the gouda. [ both ] ugh! when it came to our plants... we were so confused. how much is too much water? too little? until we got miracle-gro moisture control. it does what basic soils don't by absorbing more water, so it's there when plants need it. yeah, they're bigger and more beautiful. guaranteed. in pots. in the ground. in a ukulele. are you kidding me? that was my idea. with the right soil... everyone grows with miracle-gro. ♪ the middle of this special moment and i need to run off to the bathroom. ♪ i'm fed

of course the president was in israel to show that he was a friend to israel. checking out the dead sea scrolls and navigating the avant-garde red carpets of the west bank but of course danger lurked everywhere. oh, my god, mr. president! the robots. oh, my god! oh, they're jewish robots. they're bringing him some food. i'm going to stop you right there, mr. president. good matza? that's what's known in the business as a goy tell because unless it was slathered in fluffer nutter or jammed inside a chip-wich, it tastes like the box it came in. matza sucks so bad they had to have a robot bring it to him. i understand you're a guest in israel, you want to be polite but you're allowed to say matza sucks, trust me. that's what netanyahu was thinking. you give matza to a jew, here's what they think. how many nights do we have to eat this [bleep]? anyway, got to take more than just pretending to like matza to win over this skeptical crowd >> so long as there is a united states of america (speaking hebrew), you are not alone. sniem is that what that means? touche or as

israel's not going anywhere. israel has the wisdom to see the world as it is, but this is in your nature. israel also has the courage to see the world as it should be. you know, it was once said, in israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles. sometimes the greatest miracle is recognizing that the world can change. that's a lesson that the world has learned from the jewish people. and that brings me to the final area that i'll focus on. prosperity and israel's broader role in the world. i know that all the talk about security and peace can sometimes seem to dominate the headlines, but that's not where people live. and every day, even amidst the threats that you face, israelis are defining themselves by the opportunities that you're creating. through talent and hard work. israelis have put this small country at the forefront of the global economy. israelis understand the value of education and have produced ten nobel laureates. israeli's understand the power of invention and your universities ed

sent to israel by the truck load. now israel won't allow it. the price of hate, he says. but he says hamas shares the blame. 150 workers here before hamas came to power in gaza. just 20 now. a border once busy with trade now a no man's land under the watchful gaze of israeli surveillance balloons. of the 100 factories and warehouses near the border, all but five locked and shuttered. it's the price of hate, mistrust, and violence. wolf, it is like going back in time. i cannot tell you how depressing it is. you see these wonderful, beautiful palestinian children in gaza, hope in their eyes, then you walk the streets and see the devastation. the gentleman at the furniture factory perhaps a minority but not alone. when we were there several people after looking around a little nervously said, yes. they blame it most on israel but many also said as long as hamas will not acknowledge israel's right to exist they see no hope for peace and that means no hope for jobs. >> let's hope the president's visit can revive that peace

definitely most of the blame is for -- because israel is israel and america is america, but i think some mistakes were made on the side of the president as well. i think basically the president looks at mr. netanyahu as an israeli eric cantor, as a conservative rep who is presently hostile. he rejects his world, deeply rejects it. mr. netanyahu sees president obama as suspect envelope -- as an appeaser, who does not see the real world as it is, so projects weakness to a hostile and dangerous middle east. this has been a strained relationship. there were some ups, but mostly downs. here is the potential to really change that relationship. now that president obama comes to israel as victorious, as with the mag nimity and generosity of a victorious president who won the elections, does not have netanyahu threatening him, he can reach out and try to prove to them that he is a real friend and this demonization of him was totally wrong. >> now, according to the polls, and you know better than i whether the polls are accurate reflection, is israelis are suspicious of this president, despite the

he must be powerful in israel. he must be popular in israel. barack obama, to be candid, has not been popular in israel as compared to bill clinton and george bush. what this speech was about was trying to do in one hour what those politicians had done through engagement week after week, was to show the israelis that he understands intellectually, politically, he understands why they feel special about their country. to bring all that together, and as andrea said, this speech was designed to do all that. barack obama has shown in his career that these big set-piece speeches are his probably best tool as a president and as a political leader. if he can launch it, this will be the way to launch it. >> what is interesting, also, another aspect he brought was really an emotional connection. i was here with you. he's talking as a parent and reached out to israeli parents and said, were you to speak to some of these young palestinians i spoke with this morning, you would wish them well, you would wish them prosperity and peace. how much, jamie, do yo

to say we have israel's back. the president is going to see the iron dome you know system, the israeli defense system. one of the first things he's going to see. that was largely paid for by the united states. so there is that, that we have israel's back. >> what about the timelines regarding iran? in covering the pentagon and foreign policy. elizabeth, you know we have a different u.s. officials have a different notion of when we reach that danger point. the testimony last week was that the ayatollah has still not made the political decision to proceed with nuclear weapons. there's not that same sense at all in israel. >> i feel like i've been talking about this for years. the different timelines. but yes, there's still a different timeline that the u.s., i think the last thing the president said was about a year, israel thinks it's sooner than that. the reality is that israel is going to be in a very difficult position to do a strike itself. we've been through that many times it doesn't have the same capabilitie

. >> the united states of america stands with the state of israel. >> obama in israel for the first time as president. >> joking with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu that it was good to get from congress. >> you only tease the ones you love. >> i see this visit as an opportunity. >> this trip is heavy on symbolism. >> what is he taking away. >> he and netanyahu had their differences. >> we know he was sort of a supporter of romney. >> netanyahu preferred romney over obama. >> trying to influence an american election. >> there's a lot of water under the bridge. >> i think it is absolutely outrageous. >> you only tease the ones you love. >> some republicans coil at the party plans for the future. >> i know what our principles are. >> the chairman is in the hot seat. >> i am looking to get into communities in the hundreds. >> show up any time. >> i know what our principles are. >> it is what you say and do when you get there matters most to people. >> our party believes marriage is between one man and one woman. >> they haven't changed their policies. >> house republicans tomorrow

given a warm red carpet welcome from israel's president and prime minister. >> the people of israel welcome you with open heart. we deeply appreciate your friendship and we share your hope that the middle east will enjoy a future of freedom, prosperity and peace. >> i'm confident in declaring that our alliance is forever. >> day one has already brought a packed agenda for president obama in israel. again, at this hour, he's holding closed bilateral talks there in jerusalem. president obama will hold another closed door discussion, this time with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. now, despite a tense and somewhat tenuous relationship, the two leaders may need one another now more than ever. they are both confronting a changing and dangerous middle east. iran potentially getting closer to israel's nuclear red line. egypt suffering economic and political upheaval. and then of the new questions about whether syria's government is using chemical weapons in its bloody civil war. >> in an unstable and uncertain middle east, the need for our alliance is greater than ever. it's the key to t

israel is very powerful. israel is a fortress. but all of us would like to see the jewish community fully integrated into that part of the world by reaching a settlement based on security and peace and reconciliation. this is the way to go. and abbas, anyone else. the reality, i'm choosing my words very carefully. the israelis will never find a better partner than mahmoud abbas who has fully accepted a settlement based on a two-state solution. full security for israel and dignity for the palestinians and a viable state on the, what we call the 23% of what used to be historic palestine. >> abbas has called israel a land of jesus and mohamed. so i'm not sure he is interested in any israeli sovereignty. >> professor, thank you very much. >>> up next, chris christie gets a grilling from kindergartners? i hope this went better than what we just watched with the teacher. "the cycle" rolls on. [ male announcer ] what?! investors could lose tens of thousands of dollars in hidden fees on their 401(k)s?! go to e-trade and roll over your old

plus, president obama's trip to israel hits a speed bump. the real reason his limo needed a tow today is next. >>> and there's a growing trend of super skyscrapers, i don't think is a better word to describe some of these guys, being built around the world. who's is biggest? bny mellon has the vision and experience to help. we look at the full picture... to uncover risk, find opportunities, and create a plan that's best suited for you. bny mellon. both of us actually. our pharmacist recommended it. and that makes me feel pretty good about it. and then i heard about a study looking at multivitamins and the long term health benefits. and what do you know? they used centrum silver in the study. makes me feel even better, that's what i take. sorry, we take. [ male announcer ] centrum. the most recommended. most preferred. most studied. centrum, always your most complete. a hairline fracture to the mandible and contusions to the metacarpus. what do you see? um, i see a duck. be more specific. i see the aflac duck. i see the aflac duck out of work

we begin this morning in israel. rockets fly, a cease-fire wobbles and president obama's visit highlights the enormous challenges of trying to broker a peace deal. president obama wrapped up the meeting with mahmoud abbas, president of the palestinian authority. and the palestinians blamed for the latest tension. two rockets fired from gaza scratch into southern israel. no injuries, but still dealing a below to obama's push for israeli, palestinian peace talks. sara sidener in ramallah where this morning's meeting was held. tell us more about it, sara. >> reporter: let's be clear, when you say palestinians are responsible for the latest break, we are talking about gaza as opposed to the west bank. we need to be very clear about that. the palestinian authority is in control here, in the west bank. hamas in control in gaza. and that is where those rockets came from. no one has claimed responsibility, although we're hearing from officials it is likely an outside group. not hamas that fired those rockets, but a fringe gr

there are some very good signs from israel. it looks like the president and the prime minister of israel are on the same page now. both agree we can't let iran get nuclear weapons and both agree iran hasn't decided yet whether to build one and will take another year once the government in iran decides to go ainu direction. i have good hope in a number of grounds. one, the two countries are in agreement, and two, the mullahs in iran will see the united states ready to strike should they decide to build a nuclear bomb. why? there was no reason for the trip to israel unless the united states was ready for this to pound out this agreement between the united states and israel. the best result in this fight is over the other side, over in tehran. they get to see how serious we are. they see if they build a weapon, we come at them. if they know that now, it could change everything. that's "hardball" for now, thanks for joining us. the ed show starts right now. >>> good evening. welcome to the ed show. i'm michael in for ed. tonight, j

retaliation against israel. when obama talks about all military options on the ground, of course he doesn't want to repeat an iraq scenario of taking over the country, although one thing may lead to another. i think the assumption is if the united states reaches a position, in which all diplomacy has been exhausted and there is no other choice but to launch some kind of a strike against iran, then united states will be able to take care of whatever launchers iran has that could threaten israel and provide some kind of assistance and missile defense to protect the israelis. it won't be 100% in fool proof protection but it can go a long way in assuring israelis. >> all right. thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >>> up next, biden and bloomberg together and taking on gun violence today. what meaningful reform are we actually going to get? the assault weapons ban is out. the fate of background checks is uncertain. the bill headed to the senate floor. a far cry of ambitions. we're talking guns. >> i get i

israel has this sense of military superiority. the palestinians have the sense that time is on their side. so there is no real urgency to sit down and actually negotiate a real peace. there is an urgency not to be seen as the side had a is saying no to a peace process. but no real urgency to solve peace. >> this iron dome, is this a weapon that we're going to see on the coast of california to, you know, in -- is this a type of technology that the united states is probably testing theer use elsewhere? >> well, they certainly are testing it. they're being very serious analysis done by american professors of rocket science who say the iron dome was nowhere near as effective as israelis claim. >> martin fletcher, our man in both tel aviv and jerusalem, thanks for the wonderful weather. i know why you never want to leave here. thank you, sir. all right, mr. russert, it is back to you in the studio. i'll see you tomorrow, my friend. >> chuck, take care. we wish you had some aviators on right there. remember that nbc news and msnbc will

the president will be arriving in israel wednesday, meeting with leaders of israel, prime minister netanyahu, and president perez. he is also going to be, wolf, delivering messages according to white house officials that are directly related to what is going on and conflict between the israelis and palestinians. he is going to urge, white house officials say, the israelis to show more of a change of approach when it comes to reaching peace in that region. but getting back to the issue of iran and developing nuclear weapons, they say the president will be very clear during his trip to israel that the united states will not allow iran to build a nuclear weapon. >> he was clear on that with israel television, too. jim acosta, thanks very much. let's dig deeper into what's going on in washington. our chief political correspondent candy crowley, host of cnn's state of the union and also gloria borger, political analyst. what did this accomplish? my dad used to say can't hurt to talk. >> can't hurt to talk and didn't hurt to talk. the president was applauded by many republicans as well as democrat

commitment to israel, security talks about iran's nuclear weapons program, also israel's red line. discuss the movement of arms into the syrian rebel territory on the lebanon border. are the president and benjamin netanyahu likely to find common ground? as peter points out in such a short period of time? this is just a quick trip. >> there is no doubt, thomas, that they've had a very difficult personal relationship with each other. but the president has consistently supported israel's military goals and objectives and to secure it and he in fact, his first stop is going to be visiting the iron dome antimissile installation when he arrives. insofar as the personal ties between the two men it's been probably part of the reason why the president's standing among the israeli public has been so low. not that netanyahu himself is not at fault for this dysfunctional personal relationship but the israeli people want to see from the president he is truly committed to having their back when it comes to iran and continuing to support them as the middle east essentially continues to explode an

to israel in the region. it runs nuclear ambitions. >> we agree that a nuclear armed iran would be a threat to the region, a threat to the world, and potentially an threat to israel. all options are on the table. we will do what is necessary to prevent iran from getting the world's worst weapons. >> richard, help somebody out at home who is watching this. the president of the united states goes into hamas and allies decide to fire missiles into israel which they do all the time. can you explain why they would act and continue to act in a way that is against their best interests? >> for groups like hamas, you know, their title represents what they are. they are the islamic resistant movement. this for he them is station identification. this is the way that they essentially say we have a better path for dealing with the israelis. >> no peace? no peace? >> well, peace -- not a negotiated peace. certainly not a peace on the terms of being discussed by israel or the united states. >> not a peace that recognizes is

plus, president obama's trip to israel hits a speed bump. the real reason his limo needed a tow today is next. >>> and there's a growing trend of super skyscrapers, i don't think is a better word to describe some of these guys, being built around the world. who's is biggest? at od, whatever business you're in, that's the business we're in with premium service like one of the best on-time delivery records and a low claims ratio, we do whatever it takes to make your business our business. od. helping the world keep promises. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. ♪ [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap. [ female announcer ] from meeting customer needs... to meeting patient needs... ♪ wireless is li

israel is an island in a stormy sea. we have to make our island safe and we wish that the sea will become tranquil. we converted our dessert into a garden. it was achieved by our people and the potential of science. what we have done, mr. president, can be done all over the middle east, as we have rightly said tonight. israel is described as a start-up nation. the middle east can become a start-up region. dear president, you noted in your address today that peace is the greatest hope. i share your vision. your call to reopen may open the way for the implementation of the two-state solution agreed by all of us. as you said, a jewish state, israel, an arab state, palestine. if i am not wrong, next to you sits our prime minister. he was reelected. he open his address in knesset by rewriting his commitment to the two-state solution. dear friends, i have sin in my life. i have the right to believe that peace is attainable. as you felt today, this is the deep conviction of our people. with our resolve and your support, dear ba

ambassador to israel. and itamar rabinovich served as israel ambassador to the united states. at the same time he was chief negotiator with the syrian government and president and founder of the israeli institute. i'm pleased to have both of them at this table, at this time, when the president is saying some very interesting things in israel. so welcome. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> rose: characterize this speech by the president. >> this speech was typical obama at his best, working his oratorical magic on a crowd that lapped it up. he spoke very convincingly about his commitment to israel's security and his understanding of their security dilemmas. and particularly underlined what he was going to prevent iran from getting nuclear weaponsment but then he went into a rif about peace and the necessity of peace and the possibility of peace, and why peace has to be just, even saying put yourself, you israelis put yourself in the shoes of the palestinians. and talked over the heads of the leadership of israel to say to them, you need to push your leaders to take risks at peace.

the arab spring all around israel. israel is very much encircled. so it's a very different atmosphere than when the president was here, i was covering him when he was a candidate, barack obama, in 2008. to show how much israel also wants to communicate friendship, this is a video of, along the lines of jib jab, that the israeli embassy in washington has just put out, showing the friendship. take a look. >> warmly welcome president obama to israel. to express our appreciation for what he has done for us. >> the bond between the united states and israel are unbreakable and the commitment of the united states to the security of israel is iron-clad. ♪ ♪ ♪ thank you for being a friend ♪ traveled down the road and back again ♪ ♪ your heart is true ♪ you're a pal and a confidante ♪ ♪ thank you for being a friend ♪ >> jib jab diplomacy. >> i think you can see, luke that the israelis are going to try and you know the white house is going to try to get past their past differences and have a smooth trip. and then he goes on to oman. >> and

that's why israel was found, originally. so they have a very different -- many jews here have a very different orientation to that very question. but the president will be here, both talking about iran and security and also making a number of symbolic gestures to the jewish people here, acknowledging his belief that the jewish people have a claim to israel, that goes back many thousands of years, not many hundreds of years. this is on a different issue, but he once suggested that perhaps the claim went back only hundreds of years. in jews were offended by that, so he'll be correcting that suggestion. that's another big piece of his trip, ashleigh. >> any time you're in that part of the world, you better know your history, a.d. and b.c., because everyone quotes chapter and verse, to try to bolster their claims. chief white house correspondent, jessica yellin, thank you, and also senior international correspondent, sara sidner for us in jerusalem, thank as well. we'll continue to watch the developments in israel and watch for

relationship with israel. of course beyond this rhetoric israeli leaders from the israeli ambassador to the united states to the now former minister of the defense ahead barack said this president and this administration has done more to insure israel's qualitative military edge, intel cooperation has strengthened. there's been a lot of good cooperation meeting the iranian challenge but on that public level there has been difficulty obviously there's syria, iran, and the white house is setting low expectations with the regard to the palestinian israeli peace process. >> rose: low expectations? >> low expectations on that front. >> rose: do you see it the same way? >> it's the intersection of politics and policy. barack obama has the most dysfunctional relationship with an israeli prime minister as any american president has had in the history of the u.s./israeli relations. it goes beyond begin and carter and bush 41 and the reality is that no american president for political reasons and policy reasons can affo

israel's presidency simone perez was a fan. there rejiggering of the map because the geopolitics in that terrain are extremely volatile. what gives? >> i have to disagree with hillary a little bit. the president did specifically call out settlements as not conducive to peace in this speech today and referenced the may speech he made about border and security the 67 line speech he got a lot of criticism for. i was pleasantly surprised he didn't reference that as basis for negotiations. and many are asking will the president weigh in on this in a big way. the answer was yes, he weighe in a very impressive way. the question coming out of this what is the policy followed through? that's where the questions remain. i think what the president made clear today this issue remains high on his agenda, his analysis of the israel-palestinian conflict remains it is something that negatively impacts u.s. national security and u.s.'s ability to achieve its goals. at this point having done what he needs to do, assuring israelis of his own supp

so he has been scloes to israel and close to support for israel and they share assess ment on iran. there a clear effort on both parties to start anew and have a better relationship. but it goes beyond the prime minister and president. the prime menster not want just the president to put on a better face to their talks but also for the israeli public to trust the president more. the president disagrees with prime minister on some. and for this the president needs the israeli public to be a bit more on his side. to allow him to disagree with the prime minister and assert pressure on the prime minister. remember back what bill clinton as president did when the same netanyahu was prime minister disagreed with clinton. he paid a political price because israelis loved clinton. this is not the same with obama. the president would benefit from the trust from israelis even when he has disagreements with their prime minister. not to say the president owes israelis anything. he is not their president. he is the american one. they don't deserve his love. but it would be expedient for him to ga

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israel analysts, if he is asking israel for forbearance and asking for time. israel has a red line much more immediate than the americans do. the president thinks as he said in his interview with israel channel 2 before his departure he i think, iran is a year away. he is going to israel saying behind closed doors, give me time. i want to pursue the negotiation track and i want to try to continue to get a peaceful outcome here on the iran program and talk to the israel public and build confidence among israelis. >> president reagan never went as president and president bush went at the end of his second term. he is on a better track in terms of israel visits than his predecessors. >> a good point richard makes. >> can i respond? >> president reagan did not actually go through the arab world. he said, while i'm here, i'm not going to israel. >> as you look at these three world leaders too. ronald reagan never made sure his time matched -- >> okay. this is just ridiculous. >> there you go. >> stungningly profind. >> let's go to politico, please. with us now -- >

he'll meet with mahmoud abbas before traveling back to israel. thursday afternoon in jerusalem president obama will address the israeli people. this will be an attempt -- later he will attend a state dinner at the residence of shimon perez. an attempt to try to fix some of his public relations problem with israelis in general. on friday the president then will head to aman, jordan. where he'll meet with king abdullah and attend a dinner at the palace there. finally on saturday, it is off to the famous city of petra. president obama will tour the ancient city carved into the mountain side before boarding air force one and heading home. it's a trip that does not have a lot of policy expectations. it is filled, of course, with symbolism. while the trip does include stops in the west bank and jordan, this is really about israel and the president's opportunity to heal relations with the israeli leadership and its people. steve clemens is washington editor at large for "the atlantic." also with the new america foundation. steve, what's amazing about th

there is an area near tel aviv that is like the silicon valley of israel. you could see in the president's eyes he was impressed by the technology that's are being built here, many of which are benefiting americans and other people around world. >> peter alexander, enjoy the rest of your trip, peter. >>> another major issue is the civil war in syria and claims the syrian military used chemical weapons. something the president says has the potential to completely reshape america's approach to the conflict. >> we have to make sure that we know exactly what happened, what was the nature of the incident? what can we document and what can we prove? i instructed my teams to work closely with all of the countries in the region and international organizations and institutions to find out precisely whether or not this red line was crossed. once we establish the facts, i have made clear that the use of chemical weapons is a game changer. >> the syrian government blames terrorist groups for the alleged chemical attack. it triggered new calls on capitol hill to arm opp

so president obama arrived in israel today. he had interesting comments for prime minister netanyahu on the tarmac. he said it's good to get away from congress. netanyahu laughed and said, believe me, i know. any reaction? >> so much for the charm offensive. >> but does that comment like that actually have any impact do you think? >> no, not really. you know, the president's meeting with the president of israel, you know, he's got his legislative issues. the president's got his. comes with the territory. >> comes with the territory. >> i'd rather be heckled than ignored or is that like to say, you only tease the ones you love? >> so, white house chief of staff mcdonough was on our show yesterday and he said if syria is using chemical weapons, it's a game changer and we will act accordingly. i know that you were not happy with the kind of consultation that congressional leaders were given before the u.s. acted in libya. are you similarly concerned about potential action in syria? >> well, i do think that the threat that syria us

rise up to your government and said, we want a new israel, different israel. don, we could talk an hour about the obstacles of peace, but nudge your side to move forward, hopefully young palestinians will nudge their side. might say the president trying a new grassroots approach here in israel. >> i want you to listen to this, john, again. he spoke of a meeting he had with palestinian youth. >> talking to them, they weren't that different from my daughters. they weren't that different from your daughters. or sons. i honestly believe that if any israeli parent sat down with those kids, they'd say, i want these kids to succeed. i want them to prosper. i want them to have opportunities. >> john king, that's all well and good, lovely words, but let's talk about actions, specifically this. iraq has fired at israel today during the president's visit. fired, in fact, from gaza, whose palestinian leaders refuse to accept israel's right to exist. despite the applause the president got, his new offensive, as you said, new approach is use offensive. a lot of israelis wil