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Edited by: Fern Sidman

President Joe Biden on Tuesday hosted Israel’s President Isaac Herzog  in the oval office at the White House, as they seek to sustain ties despite U.S. concerns over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s  plans to overhaul his country’s judicial system and ongoing settlement construction in Israel’s biblical heartland, known as Judea and Samaria.

The AP reported on Tuesday that Herzog’s visit comes a day after Biden spoke with Netanyahu by phone and invited him to meet in the U.S. this fall, although the president expressed reservations about several of the Netanyahu coalition’s policies.

Upon their meeting, Herzog addressed the ongoing controversy in Israel surrounding the government’s planned judicial reform. The Israeli president stated that the debate demonstrates the “greatness” of Israeli democracy, as was reported by Israel National News.

“The heated debate which we are going through in as a society, it’s a heated debate, but it’s also a virtue and a tribute to the greatness of Israeli democracy,” he said and added, “Israeli democracy is sound, strong, and resilient.”

Biden praised the friendship between the US and Israel, calling it “unbreakable.” INN reported that he noted his administration’s achievements, including brokering the deal to resolve the maritime border dispute between Israel and Lebanon and the opening of Saudi airspace to flights to and from Israel.

Netanyahu reportedly pledged in a phone conversation on Monday with Biden that he will freeze construction in Judea and Samaria until the end of the year, as was reported by Israel National News on Tuesday.

According to Yaron Avraham’s report on Channel 12 News, no more new towns will be approved and no new housing units will be planned or built throughout Judea and Samaria, the report indicated.

In the conversation yesterday, Netanyahu told Biden that he would complete the final approval of the reduction of the reasonability clause in his measures for judicial reform.  “Netanyahu informed the US president about the law that will be passed next week in the Knesset and that it is his intention to try to formulate a broad public consensus regarding the remainder of the process during the summer break,” the statement said, according to the INN report.

Netanyahu and his allies say the plan is needed to rein in the powers of unelected judges. Opponents say the plan will destroy Israel’s fragile system of checks and balances and move the country toward authoritarian rule, the AP reported.

It was also reported that President Biden invited Prime Minister Netanyahu to an upcoming meeting in the US. “The Prime Minister responded positively to the invitation and it was agreed that the Israeli and US teams will coordinate the details of the meeting,” the INN report indicated. The meeting is expected to take place at the UN and not at the White House.

Officials in the White House confirmed to Israel National News that “the President and the Prime Minister have agreed on holding a meeting between them during the year 2023. A date has not yet been set.”

The officials declined to confirm whether the two leaders would meet at the UN or at the White House.

The Prime Minister’s Office denied the report that there will be a construction freeze in Judea and Samaria, as was noted by INN.

The AP reported that Herzog has appealed for a compromise as it pertains to judicial reform measures that have thus far proven elusive.

During his visit, Herzog also met with Vice President Kamala Harris and congressional leaders. His speech to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday will mark Israel’s celebration of its 75th year of independence.

When it was announced that Herzog would deliver an address before the joint sessions of Congress at the end of June, the AP reported that House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said, “The world is better off when America and Israel work together. Eleven minutes after declaring independence in 1948, the United States was the first to recognize the state of Israel, and today, we continue to strengthen the unbreakable bond between our two democracies.”

McCarthy addressed Israel’s parliament in May, the AP reported. It was the first time in 25 years a sitting speaker of the House had addressed Israel’s Knesset, and it came in a period of fraught relations between Israel’s government and President Biden.

McCarthy noted that the only other president of Israel to address a joint meeting of Congress was Herzog’s father, President Chaim Herzog, more than 35 years ago, as was reported by the AP in June.

Netanyahu has addressed Congress three times — most recently in 2015, when Republican leaders invited him to deliver a speech railing against then-President Barack Obama’s emerging nuclear agreement with Iran, the AP reported. The speech infuriated the White House and fellow Democratic leaders. Then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi turned her back on Netanyahu during his address to display her opposition to his remarks.

Far left wing lawmakers, Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush and Ilhan Omar have pledged to boycott Herzog’s address in protest of Israel.

Herzog’s visit comes weeks after Israeli forces carried out one of their most intensive operations in the  liberated lands of Judea and Samaria in two decades, with a two-day air and ground offensive in Jenin, a terrorist stronghold in the region. Senior members of Netanyahu’s government have been pushing for increased construction and other measures to cement Israel’s control over Judea and Samaria in response to a more than year-long wave of Arab violence against Israeli civilians and military personnel, the AP reported.

White House visits are typically standard protocol for Israeli prime ministers, and the delay in Netanyahu receiving one has become an issue in Israel, with opponents citing it as a reflection of deteriorating relations with the U.S.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Biden again on Monday expressed concern to Netanyahu over the judicial plan — as he did when they last spoke earlier this year — and urged the “broadest possible consensus” over the legislation that has been pushed by Netanyahu and his coalition.

The AP also reported that Kirby said during the call Biden also expressed his “ironclad, unwavering commitment” to Israel’s security and that the two leaders discussed Iran’s nuclear program and regional security issues.

As to Herzog’s visit to Washington, it comes days after Rep. Pramila Jayapal, chair of the influential 100-member Congressional Progressive Caucus, sparked outrage for calling Israel a “racist state,” including criticism from House Democratic leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the AP reported. Jayapal later said she was criticizing Israel’s government, not its existence as a country.

“As somebody who’s been in the streets and participated in a lot of demonstrations, I want you to know that we have been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state, that the Palestinian people deserve self-determination and autonomy, that the dream of a two-state solution is slipping away from us, that it does not even feel possible,” she told protesters chanting “Free Palestine,” as was reported by CNN.

The House on Tuesday passed a resolution affirming support for Israel – a direct response to Democratic Rep. Jayapal’s comments about Israel being a “racist” state, as was reported by CNN.

The bipartisan vote was 412 to 9 with nine Democrats voting against it.

CNN also reported that the Democrats who voted against the measure were: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, Jamaal Bowman of New York, Cori Bush of Missouri, Andre Carson of Indiana, Delia Ramirez of Illinois and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.

Top House Democrats rebuked the Congressional Progressive Caucus chair’s comments from this past weekend that “Israel is a racist state,” which she sought to walk back on Sunday.

“Israel is not a racist state,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Vice Chair Ted Lieu said in a statement Sunday that did not mention the progressive leader by name,  as was reported by CNN.

The resolution, introduced by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, also does not mention Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., by name, but is clearly a response to her recent remarks about the Jewish state. The AP reported that the measure was drafted soon after she criticized Israel at a conference on Saturday.

“I do not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist,” Jayapal said in a statement, according to the AP report. “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.”

The GOP-led effort highlights the divide among House Democrats over Israel, with younger progressives adopting a more critical stance toward the longtime U.S. ally than party leaders, the AP reported. Some far left wing Democrats are vowing to boycott Herzog’s address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday in commemoration of Israel’s 75th anniversary.

“If there’s anybody in the Democrat party that does not think that anti-Semitism is bad, then I think this puts them on the record,” Pfluger said Monday, as was reported by the AP.

The resolution that Pfluger introduced clearly affirms that Israel is not a racist or an apartheid state. It states that the House rejects all forms of anti-Semitism and xenophobia; and the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of the State of Israel. Rep. David Kustoff (TN-08) and Rep. Max Miller (OH-07) are original co-sponsors for the resolution, which is supported by House leadership.

“Israel is the United States’ strongest partner in the Middle East,” said Congressman Pfluger. “Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar’s repeated comments denigrating Israel are unacceptable and disgusting. I am proud to introduce this resolution ensuring all Americans know where their Representatives stand when it comes to supporting Israel and our Jewish communities.”

“The United States and Israel have an unshakeable bond and I’m grateful to Rep. Pfluger for bringing forward this critical resolution expressing support for Israel in light of the recent rise in anti-Semitic rhetoric we’ve seen from leading figures in the Democrat Party,” said Leader Steve Scalise. “This should be an easy vote – any threat to Israel is a threat to the United States and the freedom we hold dear – and I’m proud to schedule this bill ahead of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit. House Republicans will always stand with our long-time friend and ally, the State of Israel, and the Jewish people.”

“Rep. Jayapal’s recent anti-Israel comments are repulsive and repugnant,” said Congressman Kustoff. “Such hateful, anti-Semitic rhetoric has no place in the halls of Congress, nor in our national conversation. I am proud to introduce this resolution with my colleagues that reaffirms the United States’ strong commitment to our strongest friend and ally in the Middle East, Israel.”

“Congresswoman Jayapal can try to take back her comments, but her intent was crystal clear—and absolutely deplorable,” said Congressman Miller. “There is no place for this type of rhetoric in the House. Israel is not only the forever home of the Jewish people but also one of America’s closest democratic allies. I’ll always stand up for our great friend.”

Jayapal sought to clarify her remarks in a Sunday afternoon statement, saying that she does “not believe the idea of Israel as a nation is racist,” while offering an apology “to those who I have hurt with my words.”

Top Democratic leaders in the House reaffirmed their support for Israel ahead of the vote, responding Sunday to Jayapal’s comments with a blistering joint statement.

The statement — from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and members of his leadership team — declared that “Israel is not a racist state,” the AP report said. It also said America’s long-held commitment to “a safe and secure Israel as an invaluable partner, ally and beacon of democracy in the Middle East is ironclad.”

Hours later, more than 40 House Democrats, including a large group of Jewish members, issued a separate letter also condemning Jayapal’s comments.

“Any efforts to rewrite history and question the Jewish State’s right to exist, or our historic bipartisan relationship, will never succeed in Congress,” the group, led by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., said Monday night, as was reported by the AP.

Most Democrats are expected to support the GOP resolution Tuesday, even as they accused Republicans of playing politics.

“These are straightforward things that we should be supporting,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., who is Jewish, told reporters, according to the AP report. “But I certainly questioned the intentions of the Republicans by putting it on the floor. I wish their intentions were genuine.”

Schultz also called out House Republicans’ efforts to condemn Jayapal’s comments with a vote but their refusal to disinvite Democratic presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from a hearing Thursday despite comments he made about the COVID-19 virus being engineered to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people, as was reported by the AP.

“That type of vile messaging and statements should never be given those world’s largest platforms to fan the flames of conspiracy theories and racial and ethnic and religious hate,” she said.

In related news, GOP presidential candidate, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told the Christians United for Israel summit on Monday that Biden should “butt out” of Israel’s internal politics and “let Israel govern itself.”

Israel National News reported that in a dig at Biden for not inviting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House until today, DeSantis said: “As president, I will welcome Prime Minister Netanyahu to come visit the White House and we will welcome being able to go to Israel.”

Speaking to the Daily Mail at the conference, DeSantis said that the administration’s treatment of Israel is “horrendous” and accused far-left Democratic lawmakers of “scapegoating” Israel.

(Sources: AP.com, israelnationalnews.com, CNN.com)