WASHINGTON — Speaker of the House John Boehner admitted he purposely kept President Obama in the dark about inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before Congress.

“I frankly didn’t want them getting in the way and quashing what I thought was a real opportunity,” Boehner said on Fox News Sunday.

Boehner defended the backdoor invite to Netanyahu to address Congress when asked whether he turned the nation’s bipartisan relationship with Israel into political football.

“I have not,” the GOP House leader said. “The fact is we had every right to do what we did.”

Netanyahu, who has campaigned against the Obama Administration’s nuclear weapon negotiations with Iran, is facing an election on March 17. He is scheduled to speak to Congress on March 3.

Obama won’t meet with Netanyahu and Vice President Joe Biden won’t attend the congressional address. The Obama administration argues the visit is too close to Israeli elections and violates protocol of interfering in international elections.

Obama is urging Congress to avoid further sanctions on Iran until the conclusion of Iran nuclear talks, which Netanyahu views as a threat to his country’s security.

Boehner said Netanyahu’s message should be heard.

“I wanted to make sure there was no interference,” Boehner said. “There’s no secret here in Washington about the animosity that this White House has for Prime Minister Netanyahu.”

Boehner also disagreed with Obama’s request to congress for authorization to fight ISIS for three years with limits on deployment of US ground troops. Boehner said the request doesn’t go far enough and he opened up the door for a ground campaign against the terrorists in the Middle East.

“In addition to a robust strategy, I think we need to have a robust authorization,” Boehner said. “And I don’t believe that what the president sent here gives him the flexibility or the authority to take on this enemy and to win.”

White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough said the war authorization Obama sent to Congress was a bipartisan starting point.

“The president has given them a roadmap to follow,” McDonough said on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “They can take that or they can come up with something else. But they should not take a pass on this important issue.”