From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, August 5, 2025
PM met with US House Speaker Johnson for dinner in Shiloh settlement Monday, PM’s office says
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara met Monday evening with US House Speaker Mike Johnson in the settlement of Shiloh in the West Bank, the Prime Minister’s Office says in a statement.
The meeting, held over dinner, was also attended by US Ambassador Mike Huckabee, Republican members of Congress Michael McCaul, Claudia Tenney, Michael Cloud, and Nathaniel Moran, as well as Yesha Council Chairman and Binyamin Regional Council head Israel Gantz.
Johnson is one of the most senior US officials to ever visit a West Bank settlement.
According to Axios, the Republican lawmakers are in Israel on a private, previously unannounced trip, organized by Heather Johnston, the founder of a group called the US Israel Education Association, which describes its core value as “the Judeo-Christian heritage and the historical and biblical significance of Israel.”
The event was also attended by Ditsa Or, mother of Avinatan Or, who was abducted by Hamas during the October 7, 2023, attacks and remains in captivity. She met with the prime minister and his wife during the event.
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