United States House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced on Tuesday he will give a speech in front of a full session of the Israeli Knesset during his upcoming trip to Israel.
McCarthy, a Republican from California, will be the first US House speaker to address the Knesset in 25 years. In 1998, Newt Gingrich was the first and last to do so.
McCarthy, along with a bipartisan delegation of 20 Republican and Democratic members of Congress, is slated to arrive in Israel on April 30 as part of the Jewish state’s 75th Independence Day celebrations.
The trip is McCarthy’s first abroad since becoming speaker earlier this year.
“My first trip abroad as Speaker will be a return to Israel to commemorate their 75th year of statehood. The US-Israel relationship is as important as ever, and I’m proud to accept @AmirOhana’s invitation as the 2nd Speaker of the House in history to address the Knesset,” McCarthy tweeted, referring to Israeli parliament speaker Amir Ohana.
My first trip abroad as Speaker will be a return to Israel to commemorate their 75th year of statehood.The US-Israel relationship is as important as ever, and I’m proud to accept @AmirOhana’s invitation as the 2nd Speaker of the House in history to address the Knesset.
— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) April 18, 2023
Amid Biden row, McCarthy says Netanyahu is a ‘great friend of the US’
Late last month, McCarthy offered his support to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuwhom he called a “great friend of the United States.” His statement came as US President Joe Biden called on Netanyahu to halt the proposed judicial reform planwhich has sparked the worst crisis in American-Israeli relations in decades, and said he would not host the prime minister in the White House at this time.
“Netanyahu is an Israeli patriot, statesman, and most importantly, a great friend of the USA,” McCarthy wrote in a tweet.