Herzog invited to address Congress as Israel turns 75

WASHINGTON (AP) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog has been invited to address a joint meeting of Congress as Israel prepares to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its founding, which congressional leaders called a “historic and joyous milestone.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., issued the invitation to Herzog in a joint letter Tuesday. They said the two nations have shared “an unbreakable bond rooted in common security, shared values, and friendship.”

The date for Herzog’s address has not been set. The State of Israel was proclaimed on May 14, 1948. President Harry S. Truman recognized the new nation the same day. In their letter, Pelosi and Schumer said Truman’s swift action “has always been a point of pride for our Country.”

“Across the decades, the United States Congress has been proud to stand in solidarity with Israel on a bipartisan and bicameral basis,” Pelosi and Schumer wrote. “It is our hope that the Congress will have the opportunity to hear from you at this historic and joyous milestone in the success of the State of Israel and the U.S.-Israel alliance.”

Herzog began a two-day visit to Washington on Tuesday, meeting with Pelosi and with Secretary of State Antony Blinken among other U.S. officials. He was scheduled to meet with President Joe Biden on Wednesday.