Israeli President Isaac Herzog will address the US Congress, hailing US-Israel ties and “marking 75 years of Israel.”
The speech comes amid US concerns about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to reform Israel’s judicial system and the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The US House of Representatives passed a resolution Tuesday reaffirming US support for Israel. The resolution came in response to comments by Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who called Israel a “racist state” before clarifying that she believes the Netanyahu government “has engaged in openly racist and discriminatory policies and that there are extreme racists.” promoting that policy within the leadership of the current government”.
Several Democratic lawmakers have said they will boycott Herzog’s speech, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian-American in Congress.
Lawmakers have boycotted speeches by previous visiting leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s speech to Congress last month.
[Parte de la información para este informe provino de The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse y Reuters]
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