Seven Jewish Democrats met with Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer and expressed their anger over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming Congress speech, which reportedly was a breach of White House protocol.

According to reports, Dermer met with the Democrats privately on Wednesday and urged Netanyahu not to hold the speech before Congress. They said Netanyahu should stop pushing for sanctions against Iran and that accepting the Republicans' invitation was an unwise move.

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The meeting supposedly aimed to diffuse the tension between Israel and Iran and explore substantive issues, Democrat Steve Israel said. The problem only began about the speech when Republican House Speaker John Boehner said Israel was being used as a "political football," he added.

"I organized the meeting with Ambassador Dermer, and I invited key congressional Democratic supporters of Israel to attend," the democrat explained. "There were a wide range of views that were discussed, but one thing we all agreed on emphatically is that Israel should never be used as a political football."

Netanyahu's speech would reportedly focus on Iran's nuclear program, but Obama said this would be a delicate move since the White House is already talking with Iranian officials about the nation's nuclear projects.

According to other reports, Democrats are threatening not to attend the gathering on March 3. However, a White House source released a statement saying the Democratic members of the Congress are not required to attend the event and to witness Netanyahu's address.

Despite other Democrats not wanting to listen to the speech, some of them have confirmed their attendance. Among those who have confirmed are House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi from California, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York and Rep. Eliot Engel of New York.

TagsBenjamin Netanyahu, Congress speech, U.S., Israel, Iran sanctions, Democrats