House GOP accuses Dems of anti-Semitism for boycotting Israeli president.
House Republicans Criticize Democratic Boycott of Israeli President’s Speech
House Republicans are expressing their disapproval of a group of Democrats who have announced their intention to boycott a joint session of Congress next week, which will include a speech by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
At least three House Democrats, including Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), have publicly stated their opposition to Herzog’s address and declared their boycott of the event scheduled for Wednesday. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has condemned their decision and accused the group of liberals of antisemitism.
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“I firmly believe that antisemitism has no place anywhere, and especially not within Congress,” McCarthy emphasized during a press conference on Friday.
Democratic lawmakers have pushed back against these accusations, arguing that their boycott is a form of protest against the policies of the Israeli government and its treatment of Palestinians.
Omar was the first to publicly oppose the joint address, expressing in a tweet earlier this week that there was “no way in hell” she would attend. She cited the Israeli government’s decision in 2019 to block Muslims from entering the country as one of the reasons for her boycott.
“We should not be inviting the President of Israel—a government that, under its current Prime Minister, barred the first two Muslim women elected to Congress from visiting the country—to give a joint address to Congress,” Omar stated in a tweet, referring to herself and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI).
Tlaib has not yet announced whether she plans to attend the joint session.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) responded to the boycott on Friday, acknowledging that “individual members make individual decisions.” However, he noted that a majority of the Democratic caucus is expected to be present.
“I anticipate an incredibly strong turnout and active participation from House Democrats on Wednesday,” he affirmed, expressing his eagerness to welcome Herzog “with open arms.”
This is not the first time that Democrats have boycotted a joint address of Congress featuring a foreign leader. The same group, along with Reps. Cori Bush (D-MO), Summer Lee (D-PA), and Tlaib, also abstained from attending Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s joint address last month.
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