Outgoing Israeli envoy in Washington to be honored in Senate resolution

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham revealed last night that he is advancing a resolution recognizing outgoing Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Herzog for his service in bolstering the US-Israeli relationship.

At a farewell event for Herzog at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, Graham presented the ambassador with a framed copy of the bipartisan resolution that was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“Michael Herzog has been the most steady, even-keeled representative at a time we needed steady and even keel. [He’s] the one guy we could go to and feel like we were heard. [He] made it easy to be pro-Israel for both parties,” Graham said at the ceremony, according to a readout from the Israeli embassy.

Also speaking at the event was US President Joe Biden’s senior energy adviser Amos Hochstein who helped broker ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.

“I can’t think of anyone who could’ve made the transition from a peacetime to a wartime consigliere that seamlessly and that effectively. I can’t imagine us getting through this period without the skills and capabilities of Ambassador Herzog,” Hochstein said.

Herzog subsequently told those present at the event, “I did a lot of things in my life, but this was the most difficult. Navigating the pressures between Washington and Jerusalem amid an existential war wasn’t easy, yet I was constantly motivated and empowered by the deep sense that I am fulfilling a sacred mission on behalf of my country and my people at a crucial time.”

Herzog has served as ambassador since November 2021, and will be replaced by Yechiel Leiter on Monday.