Staffers of the Center for American Progress (CAP) have criticized the think thank’s decision to host the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is currently in the US visiting the American leaders.

The CAP’s invitation for Netanyahu to deliver a speech on Tuesday led to a bitter internal disagreement during a meeting at the center on Friday which later heated up and became open dissent and infighting, according to two people with direct knowledge of the exchange.

The powerful liberal think tank will host Netanyahu to repair ties between Tel Aviv and Washington following Israel’s anger over the Iran nuclear deal.

The think tank has been under harsh criticism from its former officials and peace activists who argue that the event inadvertently gives Bibi’s right-wing policies a bipartisan stamp of approval.

During the Friday meeting, Winnie Stachelberg, CAP’s executive vice president for external affairs, and Brian Katulis, a senior fellow, defended the invitation, saying it came after careful consideration.

They said that Netanyahu would have to answer tough questions over issues facing Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, the two individuals said.

However, almost a dozen CAP employees stood up and severely criticized the decision in an impassioned joint statement read aloud by a speaker.

“It was a rebuttal,” said one staff member who was at the meeting. “It was clear that the sentiment was that this was the wrong choice to make as a progressive institution that cares about human rights, justice, and the oppressed.”

They rejected the merits of the dialogue, citing the fact that Netanyahu has committed numerous acts of atrocities in recent years, particularly in the 2014 Gaza conflict, which led to the deaths of 2,100 Palestinians.

The opponents received an enthusiastic applause in the 100-plus person conference, according to the other staffer, who said “there weren’t just isolated pockets of disapproval, among the staff — it was practically the whole room clapping for 10-15 seconds.”

Netanyahu who has been furious over the Iran deal with the P5+1, the US, Britain, China, Russia, France and Germany, met President Barack Obama in Washington after 13 months.

During the meeting, Obama said that “It's no secret that the prime minister and I have had a strong disagreement," adding, he was "looking to find common ground" with the Israeli premier.