When it was revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted US Republicans’ invitation to speak to a joint session of Congress this March, it provoked a political firestorm

When it was revealed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had accepted US Republicans’ invitation to speak to a joint session of Congress this March, it provoked a political firestorm.

Netanyahu's speech would almost certainly focus on Iran's nuclear program, an issue on which he and President Obama are fundamentally at odds. Many observers saw the speech as a grave breach of protocol by Netanyahu and, by Congressional Republicans, a ‘naked attempt to undermine Obama's foreign policy.’

Three prominent US lawmakers have said they would not attend Netanyahu’s speech to Congress next month in an effort to boycott a potentially controversial speech.

Reps. John Lewis of Georgia, G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon have criticized House Speaker John Boehner for his unilateral invitation saying they will not attend Netanyahu's talk scheduled for March 3.

Congressman John Lewis, a hero of the civil rights movement, said Thursday that Boehner's invitation was "an affront to the president and the State Department" that cannot be ignored.

Rep. Butterfield said Thursday he was "very disappointed that the speaker would cause such a ruckus" among Congress members calling Boehner’s actions "unprecedented." Butterfield also slated Netanyahu for accepting the invitation without first consulting President Barack Obama noting the prime minister had "politicized" his visit.

Last week, Rep. Blumenauer called on the speaker to call off the speech saying he would “refuse to be part of a reckless act of political grandstanding”.

Meanwhile, the White House Spokesman Josh Earnest has announced that Vice President Joe Biden may not attend Netanyahu's speech either saying  Biden could be abroad at the time of the speech.

A State Department official has also said US Secretary of State John Kerry would not meet with the Israeli leader, POLITICO reported.

In addition, many other Democrats, including several Jewish members, are considering leaving some seats empty during Netanyahu’s speech.

Netanyahu rejected the harsh criticism sounded by Democrats and friends of ‘Israel’ in the United States over his address. Israeli consuls across the US told the Foreign Ministry in occupied Jerusalem that these pro-Israel elements in the U.S. were concerned that the would harm Israel's ties with the US. "It’s my duty as the prime minister of Israel to warn about the danger of a nuclear agreement with Iran and to do everything I can to prevent it from coming to fruition before it’s too late,” Netanyahu said.