Arab ambassadors in the United States have rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's invitation to attend his March 3 speech before the U.S. Congress, the Atlantic reported.

The Israeli prime minister had charged Ron Dermer, the Jewish state's top diplomat in Washington, with reaching out to his Arab counterparts.

Dermer in recent days e-mailed at least two top diplomats representing Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, arguing that their countries and Israel have a common interest in halting an emerging nuclear agreement between the United States and Iran. Displaying public unity on the issue on Capitol Hill might help persuade Congress to stop the deal, the Israeli argued.

Netanyahu is due to address a joint session of Congress following an invitation by House Republicans. His appearance comes only days before the March 17 Israeli legislative elections and has caused controversy because GOP leaders reached out to the prime minister over President Barack Obama's head.

Top Democrats have criticized the invitation as a breach of protocol, and many of their members of Congress are expected to stay away from the event. Vice President Joe Biden, who in his constitutional role as president of the Senate would typically help preside a session involving a foreign leader, has announced that he will not attend.

Countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait - none of which recognize the State of Israel -- see Iran as an enemy, and they share many of the Tel Aviv's concerns about an agreement that appeared to emerge from last weekend's talk in Geneva.

The United States, along with the remaining four permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, may provide Iran some leeway with respect to its uranium production after initial tough restrictions on its nuclear program, according to the Associated Press.

Netanyahu's allies believe that the prime minister's opposition to the emerging agreement is correct because the deal could eventually legitimize Iran's nuclear ambitions. But many still oppose the Israeli leader's appearance before Congress, which was arranged between Dermer and the office of House Speaker John Boehner, the Atlantic noted.

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