Herzog follows in the footsteps of his father Chaim, who addressed Congress as Israel's president in the eighties ■ The visit comes amid a widening rift between the Biden administration and PM Netanyahu, who is still waiting for an official invitation to the White House
WASHINGTON – Israeli President Isaac Herzog will address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress during a visit to Washington on July 19 in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of his country’s founding, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said on Thursday.
“The only other President of Israel to share this distinction is his father — President Chaim Herzog — more than 35 years ago,” McCarthy said in a statement, describing it as an opportunity to reaffirm the two countries’ special relationship.
Herzog’s visit to Washington follows a period of increased violence in the occupied West Bank, where a renewed settlement construction push by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has drawn criticism from President Joe Biden’s administration.
The invitation for Herzog to speak was issued last year by top congressional Democrats. In the invitation, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer described Israel’s founding as “one of the greatest political achievements of the 20th century.”
“It has always been a point of pride for our country that President [Harry S.] Truman immediately recognized the State of Israel at its establishment. Since that landmark moment, the United States and Israel have shared an unbreakable bond rooted in common security, shared values and friendship,” the pair wrote to Herzog.
“Across the decades, the United States Congress has been proud to stand in solidarity with Israel on a bipartisan and bicameral basis. It is our hope that Congress will have the opportunity to hear from you at this historic and joyous milestone in the success of the State of Israel and the U.S.-Israel alliance,” they continued.
Netanyahu has yet to be received at the White House despite winning a sixth term in November, an apparent signal of U.S. displeasure over the policies of his religious-nationalist government.
Washington last week objected to a decision by Israel’s government to approve the construction of around 5,700 additional housing units for Jewish settlers in the West Bank.