Controversial African leader addresses Aipac

Although the Rwandan leader was highly thought of for years, his image has been tarnished by reports that he has suppressed demonstrations and arrested opposition leaders and critical journalists.

He has also been accused of being responsible for the deaths of thousands in the Congo in military operations following the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

Other famous faces to address the conference on its opening day included Tony Blair and Steven Harper, the former prime minister of Canada.

Mr Blair paid tribute to “an Israel that is creative, innovative, dynamic, where its politics are argumentative, full of disputes and differences, where if there are three people in a room you’ve got four different opinions – but my god is it vibrant and capable, and what it has created is amazing.

“At its best, that Israel is a symbol for the region of open-mindedness, tolerance and willingness to work with others.”

Mr Harper told the conference that, as prime minister, his pro-Israel stances had not been taken "as a favour to the state of Israel," but "because I believed them to be in the best interest of my country, Canada." He described both countries as sharing “the same values.”

He also called the Boycott, Divestments and Sanctions movement “the most serious threat” facing Israel today, calling it the “principle vehicle” for “translating the old ideology of antisemitism into something acceptable for a new generation."