In this handout photo, President Isaac Herzog (right) meets with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at his official residence in Jerusalem, May 1, 2023. (Haim Zach/GPO)
Visiting US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who is leading a bipartisan delegation to Israel, holds meetings with both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog.
Hosting McCarthy at his official residence, Herzog hails the US as “our very close ally” and says Israel is moving toward “full integration” in the Middle East, noting the 2020 Abraham Accords and earlier peace deals with Egypt and Jordan.
“On the other hand there is a large enemy not far from here that’s threatening us,” Herzog adds, referring to Iran. “Thirty minutes from here in every direction is an enemy state and we believe the alliance with America is significant.”
McCarthy tells Herzog that the bipartisan representation on the trip is meant to underscore “that there is no greater and deeper relations between countries than between ours,” according to a Hebrew-language statement from Herzog’s office.
Netanyahu and McCarthy held talks at Jerusalem’s King David Hotel and were due to hold another meeting with the delegation of Democrats and Republicans, the Prime Minister’s Office says. There is no immediate details on what they discussed.
McCarthy, the top Republican in the House of Representatives, is also due to hold a press conference later today.
In this handout photo, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, May 1, 2023. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)
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