Trump, Cruz, Kasich speak at AIPAC

All three Republican presidential candidates spoke Monday in Washington at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) convention. The pro-Israel conference invites all presidential candidates to speak during election years.

John Kasich started off the evening with remarks to the crowd of more than 10,000 pro-Israel activists. The Governor of Ohio emphasized his "unwavering" support of Israel and talked about how he worked to create a Holocaust memorial in his home state.

Speaker Paul Ryan then took the floor. He called for an increase in military support and announced plans to visit Israel over Easter recess, marking his first foreign trip as leader of the House.

"That is why my first overseas trip as speaker will be to return to Israel," Ryan said. "And that is why I can pledge to you tonight that as long as I am speaker, I will not allow any legislation that divides our countries to come to the House floor."

GOP front-runner Donald Trump then spoke, followed by Sen. Ted Cruz.

Trump took aim at the current administration and the United Nations for their handling of the nuclear deal with Iran.

"The United Nations is not a friend of democracy," said Trump. "It's not a friend to freedom. It's not a friend even to the United States of America, where as all know, it has its home. And it surely isn't a friend to Israel."

Trump went on to talk about this "deal-making" skills, suggesting he would be able to generate a deal between Israelis and Palestinians if both sides are willing.

Trump's presence at the conference this year has received backlash with some threatening to boycott or walk out when it is his turn to speak. The violence and intensity of clashes between Trump supporters and protesters has been escalating.

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Cruz also took aim at the Iran deal, saying, "I will rip this catastrophic Iranian deal to shreds."

The Texas Senator took shots at a fellow hopeful, calling out Trump for saying he would remain "neutral" in the Middle East conflict during an interview earlier this year.

"America will stand unapologetically with the nation of Israel," Cruz added.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton spoke at the conference earlier Monday. The former secretary of state also criticized Trump throughout her 34-minute-speech, though never saying his name.

"We need steady hands, not a president who says he's neutral on Monday, pro-Israel on Tuesday, and who-knows-what on Wednesday," Clinton said.

"Let us never be neutral or silent in the face of bigotry. Let's defend the shared values that already make America and Israel great," she said.

Fellow Democratic hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders was notably absent from Monday's conference. He was the only 2016 candidate to skip AIPAC.

Sanders, the first Jewish-American to win a presidential primary, wrote in a letter to AIPAC President Robert Cohen, that his campaign schedule in the west would prevent him from attending.

According to CNN, Sanders wrote that the "issues impacting Israel and the Middle East are of the utmost importance to me, to our country and to the world."

Sanders is expected to give a speech on foreign policy Monday night from Salt Lake City, Utah.