Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will journey to Israel later this month and handle the Knesset, the nation’s lawmaking physique, as the highest lawmaker condemns the spate of antisemitic assaults which have taken place within the U.S.
The speech — set to happen on June 22 — will make Johnson the third Speaker of the Home in historical past to deal with the Israeli parliament: Former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) was the primary in 1998, adopted by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in 2023.
“It will be one of the highest honors of my life to address the Israeli Knesset at this fateful moment,” Johnson mentioned in a press release on Wednesday. “Our ties run deeper than military partnerships and trade agreements. We’re bound by the same beliefs, the same psalms, and the same sacred pursuit of liberty.”
Johnson is anticipated to fulfill with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu throughout his journey, although the small print usually are not but confirmed.
The speech comes greater than a yr and a half into Israel’s battle with Hamas, which started in October 2023 when the U.S.-designated terrorist group launched an assault on Israel. The battle has led to the loss of life of a whole lot of Israelis and tens of hundreds of Palestinians.
The handle can also be happening amid a string of antisemitic assaults within the U.S., which Johnson has strongly condemned. Most lately, he and Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) held a vigil on the Capitol steps to honor the Israeli embassy staffers who have been fatally shot outdoors the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.
“Today, the State of Israel and Jewish people around the world face grave threats, and it is our moral imperative to stand by our sister democracy,” Johnson mentioned in his assertion on Wednesday. “As terror and vile antisemitic ideology threaten Western Civilization, Israel must know that when America said, ‘Never Again,’ we meant it.”
The U.S.-Israeli relationship has been a key theme all through Johnson’s tenure as Speaker. The Louisiana Republican was elected to the highest job weeks after Hamas attacked Israel, he oversaw the approval of billions of {dollars} in help for Tel Aviv — after first making an attempt to pair the funding with cuts to the IRS, which drew criticism — and he invited Netanyahu to the Capitol to ship remarks to a joint session of Congress, which Johnson presided over.
Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana referred to as Johnson “a great friend of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.”
“From the moment he was elected, he not only expressed his support through words but also took decisive action, even at the risk of his position, to support Israel in its most challenging moments,” Ohana added in a press release. “I hold him in great esteem, believe he is highly deserving of addressing the Knesset, and look forward to hosting him and hearing his words to the nation.”
