House Democrat and GOP leadership diverged on July 14 on progressive Democrats who have said they will boycott Israeli president Isaac Herzog’s speech next week before a joint session of Congress.
Reps. Jamal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) have confirmed they will not attend Mr. Herzog’s address on July 19.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) criticized those skipping the speech.
“It’s unfortunate,” he told The Epoch Times. “And I think antisemitism shouldn’t be anywhere [and it] especially shouldn’t be inside Congress.
Mr. McCarthy added that boycotting the address is antisemitic.
However, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) appeared to give a pass to those who are declining to attend the speech.
“Members make individual decisions, but I can tell you that I expect there will be an incredibly robust turnout and participation among House Democrats on Wednesday,” he told The Epoch Times.
On the other hand, House Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) gave a simple condemnation.
“Look, I think their actions speak for themselves, and so I'll just let you leave you with that,” he told The Epoch Times.
When asked by The Epoch Times on July 13 if he’ll be at the July 19 address, Mr. Bowman said, “No.
“I don’t think Israel has gone far enough in protecting and uplifting Palestinian rights and Palestinian lives,” he said.
“The violence there’s been escalating over the last couple of years,” he said, adding that Palestinians are under “occupation,” even though many live are under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, not Israel.
Mr. Bowman noted he has “been calling for full citizenship for the Palestinians” in Israel and that there needs to be a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“And we’re nowhere near that,” the New York congressman said, referring to the prospects for a two-state solution.
Pro-Israel groups slammed Mr. Bowman for announcing he’ll pass on attending Mr. Herzog’s speech.
“J Street is aligned with the anti-Israel fringe. J Street’s ‘champion’ @JamaalBowmanNY is boycotting the Israeli president’s speech to Congress. Undermining Democratic support for Israel … @jstreetdotorg is many things, but it’s not pro-Israel,” posted the American Israel Public Affairs Committee on Twitter.
J Street, a progressive organization highly critical of Israel, did not respond to a request for comment.
“Far-left radical Democrat @JamaalBowmanNY will boycott Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s speech to Congress, joining antisemite @IlhanMN,” the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) said in a tweet.
“Remember when @USJewishDems congratulated Bowman and said they were ‘confident he is committed to the priorities of Jewish voters’? We do,” continued the RJC, referring to the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), which congratulated Bowman on winning his first primary in 2020, upsetting incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who was a pro-Israel Democrat member of Israel.
The JDCA did not respond to a request for comment.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez told Axios she is “not planning” to be at the address. This development came after she declined to answer the question when asked by The Epoch Times multiple times.
“No way in hell,” said Ms. Omar when asked by the startup online publication The Messenger if she will attend the address.
Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), and Summer Lee (D-Pa.) declined to answer if they will be in attendance for the speech. Like Mr. Bowman, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez and Ms. Omar have a record of being critical of Israel.
In addition, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) said she will not be at Herzog’s speech.
“The Israeli government is responsible for enforcing an apartheid state and rampantly abusing the rights of Palestinians,” she said, according to the Israeli publication Haaretz.
“Congress should not be giving a platform to the president of a country that shows no respect for human rights. I will not be attending his joint address,” added Ms. Bush.
Mr. McCarthy announced Mr. Herzog’s upcoming address on June 29.
Mr. Herzog is scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden on July 18 in what has been seen by some in the pro-Israel community as a continuation of Mr. Biden’s snubbing of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In March, Mr. Biden said he wouldn’t invite Mr. Netanyahu to the White House “in the near term” because of Mr. Netanyahu’s attempt to change Israel’s judiciary, an effort that’s opposed by Mr. Herzog. In response to Mr. Biden shutting the door on a meeting with Mr. Netanyahu in the near future, Mr. McCarthy said he would invite Mr. Netanyahu to Congress if Mr. Biden doesn’t reverse course.
“If that doesn’t happen, I’ll invite the prime minister to come meet with the House,” Mr. McCarthy told the newspaper Israel Hayom.
“He’s a dear friend, as a prime minister of a country that we have our closest ties with.”
Mr. McCarthy visited Israel in May and became the second sitting speaker to address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
