![]() “The US-Israel relationship is as important as ever,” he wrote. McCarthy tweeted that his visit, which is part of a bipartisan delegation beginning April 30, days after Israel celebrates its 75th birthday, will be his first abroad as speaker. “I think this thing is a testament to the strong and unbreakable connection between Israel and its closest ally, the United States of America.” “I am pleased to announce that the speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States, Kevin McCarthy, who is a real friend of Israel and has been for his entire career, has answered my invitation and will come visit us here in the Knesset in Israel,” Ohana, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, said in the video. In a Hebrew-language video announcing McCarthy’s speech, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, a Netanyahu ally, called McCarthy a “real friend of Israel,” with a slight but discernible emphasis on the word “real.” It also marks a return to a familiar Netanyahu tactic: turning to Republicans to fend off criticism from Democrats. The invitation to McCarthy, the most senior Republican in Washington, D.C., appears to be a response to that snub. Three weeks ago, soon after Netanyahu announced a pause on the judicial reform, Biden said he wouldn’t be inviting him to the White House “in the near term.” Israeli prime ministers conventionally schedule a White House visit soon after they take office. The announcement of McCarthy’s speech comes amid a chill in relations between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly criticized Netanyahu’s controversial judicial overhaul plans and other policies. WASHINGTON ( JTA) - House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will address the Israeli Knesset on his upcoming trip to Israel - the second speaker of the House to address Israel’s parliament.
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