The House Speaker and Senate Majority invited Israeli President Isaac Herzog to address Congress during Herzog’s visit to the U.S. this week.
By United with Israel Staff
Israeli President Isaac Herzog arrived in the U.S. on Tuesday for a two day visit.
Shortly after arriving, Herzog received a letter from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) inviting him to address a joint meeting of Congress.
This year, Israel will celebrate the 75th anniversary of its establishment, which thew two American leaders recognized as a “historic and joyous milestone.”
In the letter to Herzog, the U.S. acknowledged its “unbreakable bond” with Israel, “rooted in common security, shared values, and friendship.”
The date for Herzog’s address will be announced in the future.
The modern State of Israel was established on May 14, 1948, with U.S. President Harry S. Truman recognizing the Jewish state the same day.
The Jewish people have maintained an unbroken presence in the Land of Israel since Biblical times, thousands of years ago. While the majority of the Jewish people were driven out of the land by the successive conquests of invading Greek, Roman, and Muslim armies, there were always Jews who remained in the territory that makes up the modern State of Israel.
Historically, the majority of Jews lived in Judea and Samaria, which is referred to by some as the “West Bank.” The Palestinians claim this territory for a future state they have so fr failed to establish. Historically, there has never been an independent Palestinian state in the Land of Israel.
Instead, Jordan was designed as a Palestinian state under the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine of 1947.
“Across the decades, the United States Congress has been proud to stand in solidarity with Israel on a bipartisan and bicameral basis,” Pelosi and Schumer stated in the letter delivered to Herzog this week. “It is our hope that the 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.”
On Tuesday, Herzog met with Pelosi and Secretary of State Antony Blinken and was scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden on Wednesday.