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 "The president's national security advisor says it's destructive
for the prime minister of Israel to address the United States
Congress. I couldn't disagree more," Boehner said at his weekly news
conference.
"The American people and both parties in Congress have always stood
with Israel and nothing, and no one, could get in the way," the
Republican leader said.
Boehner broke precedent by inviting the Israeli leader to address
Congress without consulting the White House or Democratic lawmakers.
President Barack Obama and other Democrats have accused Netanyahu
and Republicans of using the speech to inject partisan politics into
the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Tuesday's speech will be the third by Netanyahu to a joint meeting
of the Senate and U.S. House of Representatives. Britain's World War
Two prime minister, Winston Churchill, is the only other
international leader to have done so three times.
 Several Democrats have said they will skip the speech. Some said,
like Obama, that it is inappropriate for Netanyahu to address the
U.S. Congress just two weeks before Israeli elections. Others said
they do not want a foreign leader weighing in on U.S. foreign
affairs.
U.S. lawmakers could have an impact on the course of the nuclear
talks. The Senate is due to vote within weeks on whether to impose
extra sanctions on Iran. The White House has said this could harm
the talks.
Secretary of State John Kerry met behind closed doors with Senate
Democrats on Thursday. Lawmakers said he was not overly optimistic
about the Iran negotiations but he opposed new sanctions and a
proposal to have Congress vote on any nuclear agreement.
Several senators said Kerry told them to make up their own minds
about whether to attend Netanyahu's speech.
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As partisan rancor over the speech rose this week, Obama's national
security adviser Susan Rice said in a television interview that it
would be destructive to reduce the U.S.-Israeli relationship to a
partisan political issue.
There was one sign of bipartisanship on Thursday when Republican
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that Netanyahu
would meet with him and Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid after
the speech next Tuesday.
The White House said Rice and U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power would
address the annual convention next week of the AIPAC pro-Israel
lobby group, where Netanyahu is also speaking.
Boehner expressed doubts about the nuclear talks as he defended the
invitation to Netanyahu. "What is destructive in my view is making a
bad deal that paves the way for a nuclear Iran. That's destructive,"
he said.
Boehner said it was important for the U.S. public to hear Netanyahu
talk about the "grave threats" facing Israel. "I'm glad that most of
my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, will be there to hear what
he has to say," he said.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by David Storey, Toni
Reinhold)
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