WASHINGTON (JTA) – House Speaker John Boehner said he kept the White House out of the loop on his invitation to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to make sure that there was no interference.”

“It is no secret here in Washington about the animosity this White House has for Prime Minister Netanyahu,” he told Chris Wallace of Fox News. “I simply didn’t want them getting in the way and quashing what I thought was a real opportunity.”

Boehner said he wanted Netanyahu to speak in part because he wants him to rebut Obama’s claims that nuclear talks underway between Iran and the major powers are constructive.

The White House and congressional Democrats have complained that Boehner and Israel’s U.S. ambassador, Ron Dermer, did not consult with the White House or Democrats. Three top Jewish Democrats in the House – Reps. Steve Israel and Nita Lowey, both of New York, and Ted Deutch of Florida – wrote Boehner last week asking him to explain why he had asked Dermer to keep quiet about the speech. Like many other Democrats, the three lawmakers have said they will attend the speech but are dismayed by the circumstances of the invitation. A number of other Democrats have said they may not attend the speech.