Nearly two dozen U.S. House Democrats on Thursday urged the postponement of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned speech to Congress, saying the controversially-timed address could "undermine" nuclear negotiations with Iran.

House Speaker John Boehner invited Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress on March 3 two weeks before his country's elections, and the speech, in which the prime minister will discuss the threat of Iran's nuclear program, has caused a political furor in Israel and Washington.

The White House on Wednesday denied keeping Israel in the dark over ongoing nuclear negotiations with Iran, but suggested its ally had cherry-picked information to bolster opposition to the deal.

Amid strains in the U.S.-Israeli relationship over negotiations to reach a landmark nuclear agreement with Iran, White House spokesman Josh Earnest rejected suggestions Israel was being frozen out.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, campaigning for reelection next month, was officially rebuked Tuesday over what the country's comptroller said was excessive spending on running his private and public residences.

In a report, Comptroller Joseph Shapira stopped short of recommending a criminal investigation, which is not within his remit, but said he had turned evidence over to State Attorney Yehuda Weinstein for possible action on some cases.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's calls for Jewish emigration after anti-Semitic attacks have riled European leaders but come as no surprise given Israel's history as a refuge and a looming election, analysts say.

Netanyahu seized on the killing of a Jewish man in Denmark on Sunday to urge mass migration to the Jewish state.

Danish Jews on Monday turned down an offer by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to emigrate to Israel following a deadly weekend attack on a synagogue in Copenhagen.

"We're very grateful for Netanyahu's concern but having said that, we are Danish -- we're Danish Jews but we're Danish -- and it won't be terror that makes us go to Israel," said a spokesman for the Jewish Community in Denmark, Jeppe Juhl.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party claims in a contentious new campaign ad that a vote for the left in Israel's March election would benefit jihadists from the Islamic State group.

The ad drew fire from the left-wing coalition opposing Likud, the Zionist Union, which accused Netanyahu of "colossal" security failures.

Top author David Grossman announced Thursday he will withdraw from contention for Israel's most prestigious arts and sciences award after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intervened to remove judges on political grounds.

The premier earlier this week had three of the Israel Prize judges removed, explaining on his Facebook page they were "extremist and anti-Zionist."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted Tuesday he has a "profound disagreement" with President Barack Obama over efforts by the U.S. and world powers to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue.

However, he said he is still trying to minimize the impact of the dispute on his country's relations with the United States.

At least two U.S. senators, including the chamber's longest-serving lawmaker, will skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress next month, deepening a partisan fissure over the controversial address.

In a blunt statement Tuesday, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy accused Republican leaders in the House of Representatives of "unilaterally" arranging and politicizing Netanyahu's planned address before a joint meeting of Congress on March 3.

Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on Saturday ordered the formation of a committee to oversee cases to lodge with the International Criminal Court, in a move likely to further anger Israel.

The Palestinians formally joined the ICC last month, in a move that will enable them to submit war crimes and crimes against humanity complaints against Israel.