Northwest lawmakers welcome Israeli president to Capitol as his nation marks 75th anniversary with hope, turmoil

WASHINGTON – Israel’s president marked his nation’s 75th anniversary with an address to Congress on Wednesday, drawing a warm response from Northwest lawmakers in both parties that illustrated the close bond between the two nations despite political rifts within each country.

President Isaac Herzog emphasized the deep ties through his own family’s history. He recalled how his grandfather, Israel’s chief rabbi, visited the White House in 1949 to thank then-President Harry Truman for making the United States the first country to recognize the Jewish state’s founding the previous year. In 1987, Herzog’s father, Chaim Herzog, became the first Israeli president to address Congress.

“Thank you, dear members of Congress, for your support of Israel throughout history and at this critical moment in time,” Herzog said, drawing one of many standing ovations from Democrats and Republicans alike.

Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers – a Spokane Republican who co-chairs a bipartisan caucus that supports the Abraham Accords, 2020 agreements that normalized relations between Israel and four Arab countries – issued an effusive statement with the group’s other leaders after they met with Herzog on Wednesday.

“The founding of the State of Israel was nothing short of miraculous and a profound moment in history,” the caucus co-chairs wrote. “For 75 years, the United States’ support for Israel has been – and will continue to be – steadfast, unwavering, and bipartisan.”

In his 40-minute speech, Herzog called his country “an exquisite land of democracy,” although he didn’t shy away from controversies in Israel and the United States that preceded his arrival in Washington, D.C. “Our evolutionary societies have so much to give to the world and so much to learn from each other.”

Like the United States, Israel was established by displacing people who already lived there, and its history has been marked by debates over which of its residents should benefit from the democratic principles on which its government is based. Since it was founded in 1948 as a home for the Jewish people who survived the atrocities of the Holocaust, the nation has struggled to reconcile its identity as an inclusive democracy with the exclusion of the Palestinians who live in the territories Israel has occupied since 1967.

“Our two nations are both diverse, life-affirming societies that stand for liberty, equality and freedom,” Herzog said, after acknowledging the daughter of an American rabbi who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. against racism in the United States, while he noted that those principles have not always been upheld in either nation.

On Saturday, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Seattle Democrat who leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, drew criticism from her colleagues – including fellow Washington Democrats – for calling Israel “a racist state” in an exchange with pro-Palestinian activists at an event in Chicago.

Rep. Russ Fulcher, a Republican who represents North Idaho, was diplomatic when asked about Jayapal’s remarks on Tuesday.

“We don’t all see it that way,” Fulcher said. “We, myself included, feel like that relationship with Israel is really important and we want them to know they’re supported.”

In a statement, Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, called Jayapal’s remarks “abhorrent,” adding that members of Congress should “denounce all forms of anti-Semitism.”

Jayapal walked back those remarks in a statement the next day, explaining that she was trying to “defuse a tense situation” as Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., who is Jewish, tried to assure the protesters that she is also critical of Israeli’s current right-wing government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist,” Jayapal said in the statement. “I do, however, believe that Netanyahu’s extreme right-wing government has engaged in discriminatory and outright racist policies and that there are extreme racists driving that policy within the leadership of the current government.”

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister with a total of more than 15 years in office, returned to power at the end of 2022 with the help of far-right parties that advocate Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law. His embrace of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who has been convicted of supporting a terrorist group, has drawn the ire of liberal Israelis.

In his remarks, Herzog alluded to the controversy over Jayapal’s remarks, without naming the Seattle lawmaker.

“I respect criticism, especially from friends, although one does not always have to accept it,” he said, drawing laughter from the crowd. “But criticism of Israel must not cross the line into negation of the State of Israel’s right to exist.”

On Tuesday, the House overwhelmingly passed a resolution expressing support for Israel, with Jayapal voting in favor along with 411 other lawmakers. The only opposition to the resolution came from nine progressive Democrats, including Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, the only House lawmaker of Palestinian descent.

Clearly aware of the controversy that preceded Herzog’s visit, Democrats and Republicans seemingly tried to out-applaud each other during his speech, beginning with a standing ovation when the president entered that lasted over three minutes and stopped only after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., gaveled the chamber to order.

There was little disagreement among Democrats visible in the House chamber, with some critics of Israel skipping the speech – including Jayapal, whose office cited a scheduling conflict. On the GOP side of the chamber, the only apparent split came when Herzog celebrated the LGBTQ pride parade in Tel Aviv, drawing applause from Newhouse and roughly half of Republicans while McMorris Rodgers and others sat in silence.

“Israel is a strong ally of the United States in an area of the world that we need friends, so anything we can do to continue and grow that relationship is important,” Newhouse said in a brief interview Tuesday. “I support Israel and I know a lot of my Jewish constituents and friends are very excited about him coming to Washington.”

The presidency is a largely ceremonial role in Israel, with the president chosen by members of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, for a single, seven-year term. Herzog – who was a member of the center-left Labor Party before assuming his current, nonpartisan role – has cast himself as a unifying figure at a time of turmoil within his country.

An ongoing effort by Netanyahu’s coalition to reform the nation’s Supreme Court has prompted mass protests, including by some members of Israel’s military, who argue that the proposed changes would undermine the independence of the nation’s judiciary.

Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in an interview that while he doesn’t know Israel’s system of government well enough to judge what the impact of the judicial overhaul would be, “What they’re doing would be very bad in America.”

Herzog seemed to weigh in on that issue in his remarks, calling Israel “a country which takes pride in its vibrant democracy, its protections of minorities, human rights and civil liberties, as laid down by its parliament, the Knesset, and safeguarded by its strong Supreme Court and independent judiciary.”

The domestic unrest over the judicial reforms has coincided with a spike in violence between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants, leaving 174 Palestinians and 23 Israelis dead since the beginning of the year, according to the United Nations.

“It’s heartbreaking to see the recent uptick in violence between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces and the loss of civilian life,” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said in a statement, adding that she is “deeply concerned about actions the extreme right-wing Netanyahu government has taken that push a two-state solution further out of reach, make the prospect of peace less likely, and risk undermining stability in the region.”

While Herzog acknowledged “deep political differences” between Israelis and Palestinians, he added, “One cannot talk about peace while condoning or legitimizing terror, implicitly or explicitly.”

Herzog also underscored the threat posed by Iran, whose government rejects Israel’s right to exist and has resumed efforts to develop nuclear weapons in violation of an agreement negotiated by the Obama administration, after the Trump administration stopped observing the deal, which it considered ineffective. Risch echoed that concern in a statement after Herzog’s speech.

“Israel remains an example of a vibrant democracy in the Middle East,” Risch said. “Unfortunately, the Biden Administration’s lack of a serious Iran policy has left Israel susceptible to continued attacks from Iran and its terror proxies. My colleagues and I in Congress continue to push for a more comprehensive Iran policy that goes beyond a nuclear negotiation.”

Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, called Herzog’s visit and address “emblematic of the strong diplomatic relationship between Israel and the United States.”

“We must continue to work together to promote greater peace and prosperity in the volatile region,” Crapo said in a statement. “Israel is a critical ally of the United States, and I remain a strong advocate for Israel’s right to defend itself from existential threats by hostile parties.”