ISRAEL: Herzog To Address Joint Meeting Of United States Congress

Israeli President Isaac Herzog is shortly due to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress.Livestream

• Although the Israeli presidency is largely ceremonial, Herzog is considered by the US a moderating influence on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial legislative agenda.
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday emphasised to Herzog, “the enduring commitment to fundamental, shared values of democratic governance and human rights…”
• The White House similarly referenced Netanyahu’s judicial reforms after a Biden-Herzog bilat: “[The leaders] noted the strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship, based on the bedrock of shared democratic values, and discussed the need for a consensus-based approach to the judicial reform package.”
• WH and State officials declined to clarify if an upcoming meeting between Biden and Netanyahu would take place at the White House, or less symbolically at the United Nations.
• Yesterday, the Republican-controlled House voted in 412-9 in favour of a resolution affirming that Israel is not an, "apartheid state," part of a GOP push to highlight internal divisions with the Democratic party.