Interview with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson
U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson told Ynet on Friday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be invited to speak before Congress. At the sidelines of the ceremony marking Israel's 76th Independence Day, held by the Israeli Embassy in Washington amid the war in Gaza, Johnson said, "The Senate leader told me he will sign the invitation letter, and I informed Netanyahu about it in a phone call yesterday."
The prime minister is expected to visit Congress and deliver a speech in the next two months, though a date has not yet been set. Back in March, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer denied Netanyahu's request to speak in front of his party at the Congress.
3 View gallery
Chuck Schumer, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mike Johnson
(Photo: AP / J. Scott Applewhite / Manuel Balce Ceneta, Alex Kolomoisky)
Before the ceremony began, Johnson added in an interview that he doesn’t think Netanyahu should resign. "I made it very clear; I don’t think there should be any micromanaging or trying to dictate to the Israeli people who their leader should be. This is something that should be resolved by Israel, but I believe Netanyahu is doing the best he can under very difficult circumstances. There were intelligence failures, but it’s not only Israel. All our allies were involved," he said.
"I recently visited Columbia University to stand up for the rights of Jewish students. I also demanded that universities allowing a rise in antisemitism be investigated," Johnson said during the ceremony. "Any student who came here with a visa to study but supports terrorism - you don’t belong in America. You should go home."
He added, "Today we celebrate promises made ages ago. Promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Promises to the survivors of the diaspora and the Holocaust, as the Zionist dream became a reality. The Jewish people deserve to live in security and peace in their ancestral land, and today we celebrate the independence of the State of Israel.
3 View gallery
Yellow chairs left empty at the ceremony symbolizing hostages held in Gaza
(Photo: Daniel Edelson)
"Since the October 7 massacre, we have witnessed a rise in antisemitism, with governments declaring their commitment to the destruction of the Jewish state. But for 76 years, the U.S. has stood by Israel, and I now say this clearly and unequivocally - we won’t allow darkness to spread. We must be clear and promise 'never again.' We’ll stand together. I’m excited to announce that we’ll soon host Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Congress," he said.
In his interview with Ynet, Johnson also addressed the criticism from the former president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who said "Any Jewish person who votes for a Democrat or votes for Biden should have their head examined."
According to him, "I have traveled In the last five and a half months, to 110 American cities and 29 states doing campaign events for our various candidates. Everywhere that I go, there are large numbers of Jewish people who come to these events, and they say, in their own words, that they feel as though the Democratic Party and some say specifically President Biden, have abandoned Israel and abandoned their interests."
Johnson added, "So, I think you will see a demographic shift in our elections this fall. I believe we will see a record number of Jews that vote Republican, some for the first time in their lives because they recognize now that one party is standing strong with Israel, and the other has not been consistent in this way.
“This doesn't mean every Democrat, it does mean some of the leading members of that party have equivocated between the opposition and Israel. President Trump has a very clear record, very consistent, he’s a strong supporter of Israel."