Speaker Mike Johnson to address Israeli parliament June 22 [View all]
Source: CBS News
June 11, 2025 / 9:04 AM EDT
Washington — House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday he will travel to Israel later this month to address the Israel's parliament, known as the Knesset, in Jerusalem.
"It will be one of the highest honors of my life to address the Israeli Knesset at this fateful moment," Johnson said in a statement announcing the June 22 address. "Our ties run deeper than military partnerships and trade agreements. We're bound by the same beliefs, the same psalms, and the same sacred pursuit of liberty."
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has led House Republicans in their staunch support of Israel in the war in Gaza that began following Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Johnson's speakership began weeks later, after the ouster of his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy.
McCarthy also addressed the Knesset during his speakership in May 2023. And for Johnson, the overseas trip marks one of a small number he's taken since becoming speaker. His first trip abroad since taking the gavel came in September when he attended the G7 summit in Italy.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mike-johnson-israeli-knesset-parliament-june-22/
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