[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 124 (Wednesday, July 19, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H3703-H3707]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1037
   JOINT MEETING TO HEAR AN ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY ISAAC HERZOG, 
                    PRESIDENT OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL

  During the recess, the House was called to order by the Speaker at 10 
o'clock and 37 minutes a.m.
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms, Ms. Kathleen Joyce, announced 
the Vice President and Members of the U.S. Senate, who entered the Hall 
of the House of Representatives, the Vice President taking the chair at 
the right of the Speaker, and the Members of the Senate the seats 
reserved for them.
  The SPEAKER. The joint meeting will come to order.
  The Chair appoints as members of the committee on the part of the 
House to escort His Excellency Isaac Herzog, President of the State of 
Israel, into the Chamber:
  The gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise);
  The gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Emmer);
  The gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Stefanik);
  The gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith);
  The gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson);
  The gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn);
  The gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Kustoff);
  The gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Tenney);
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Garbarino);
  The gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Malliotakis);
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. D'Esposito);
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. LaLota);
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler);
  The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Miller);

[[Page H3704]]

  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Molinaro);
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries);
  The gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark);
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Aguilar);
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Lieu);
  The gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. DelBene);
  The gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Phillips);
  The gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz);
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks);
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman);
  The gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky);
  The gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Meng);
  The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider);
  The gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Gottheimer);
  The gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Manning); and
  The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Moskowitz).
  The VICE PRESIDENT. The President of the Senate, at the direction of 
that body, appoints the following Senators as members of the committee 
on the part of the Senate to escort His Excellency Isaac Herzog, 
President of the State of Israel, into the House Chamber:
  The Senator from New York (Mr. Schumer);
  The Senator from Illinois (Mr. Durbin);
  The Senator from Washington (Mrs. Murray);
  The Senator from Michigan (Ms. Stabenow);
  The Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Klobuchar);
  The Senator from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin);
  The Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez);
  The Senator from Nevada (Ms. Rosen);
  The Senator from Kentucky (Mr. McConnell);
  The Senator from South Dakota (Mr. Thune);
  The Senator from Wyoming (Mr. Barrasso);
  The Senator from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito);
  The Senator from Iowa (Ms. Ernst);
  The Senator from Montana (Mr. Daines);
  The Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley); and
  The Senator from Idaho (Mr. Risch).
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms announced the Acting Dean of 
the Diplomatic Corps, Her Excellency Mathilde Mukantabana, the 
Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda.
  The Acting Dean of the Diplomatic Corps entered the Hall of the House 
of Representatives and took the seat reserved for her.
  At 11 o'clock and 4 minutes a.m., the Sergeant at Arms, the Honorable 
William P. McFarland, announced His Excellency Isaac Herzog.
  The President of the State of Israel, escorted by the committee of 
Senators and Representatives, entered the Hall of the House of 
Representatives and stood at the Clerk's desk.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  The SPEAKER. Members of Congress, I have the high privilege and the 
distinct honor of presenting to you His Excellency Isaac Herzog, 
President of the State of Israel.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  President HERZOG. Madam Vice President, Mr. Speaker, on November 10, 
1987, I was sitting at home with my wife, Michal, expecting our first 
child. We were watching the first Israeli President invited to address 
a joint session of Congress in honor of Israel's 40th independence day. 
That President was my father.
  Standing here today representing the Jewish Democratic State of 
Israel in its 75th year at the very podium from which my late father, 
President Chaim Herzog, spoke is the honor of a lifetime, and I thank 
you wholeheartedly for it.
  I was born and raised in Israel, but my father's diplomatic post at 
the United Nations brought my family to New York in the 1970s.
  During high school, I volunteered with the Legal Aid Society for the 
Elderly in Brooklyn, New York. I volunteered with the impoverished and 
the underprivileged elderly, including war veterans and Holocaust 
survivors, who gave their best years to the country they loved.
  My mentor at the organization was a subtle, reserved professional. 
She was strictly business. The moment she broke character has remained 
with me for almost 50 years. It was the day she told me the love of her 
life died fighting for Israel. Her fiance, a tall, bright-eyed American 
Jewish boy, was inspired by the Zionist dream and the Jewish people's 
desire for independence. He voluntarily boarded a ship to Haifa, fought 
in the Israeli military, and fell in the battle for Israel's 
independence, just weeks before their wedding. Although decades had 
gone by and she rebuilt her life, the cracks in her heart remained.

  That moment, in which I learned of the life he gave for the State of 
Israel, spoke to the very core of the bond forged between the people of 
the United States and the people of Israel, how the nations we built 
overcame loss, how deeply our stories complement each other's, and how 
far we have all come together.
  Speaker McCarthy, I thank you for hosting this festive joint session 
of Congress celebrating the first 75 years of Israel's independence. 
Just a few weeks ago, during your first trip abroad as Speaker, you 
honored the Israeli people by addressing the Knesset in Jerusalem, the 
capital of the State of Israel, and the Jewish people. Your sincere 
expression of friendship on behalf of the United States of America 
truly resonated with the Israelis. Thank you.
  Vice President Harris, it is such a great pleasure to see you again. 
I vividly recall hosting you at the Knesset a few years back. Your 
stirring remarks at the Israeli Embassy's Independence Day reception a 
few weeks ago reflect both yours and President Biden's decades-long, 
ironclad friendship with Israel.
  A special thanks goes to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi who first 
invited me less than a year ago, together with Senator Chuck Schumer.
  Special thanks to dear friends, Senate Minority Leader, Senator Mitch 
McConnell, and House Minority Leader, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, for 
this bipartisan, bicameral invitation. My thanks also to the 
distinguished members of the escort committee for greeting me so 
beautifully.
  Mr. Speaker, dear friends, in Jewish weddings, a glass is placed on 
the ground and intentionally stomped on. This ritual evokes the 
destruction of our temple in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. Only after the 
glass is broken, the celebration can truly begin.
  Amidst the most joyous occasions in the lives of two individuals who 
have come together to build something whole, we recall what was once 
broken in our Nation. Thus, the bitter blends with the sweet.
  Today, the Hebrew calendar points to the first day of the month of 
Av. In Jewish tradition, this is a somber period in which we mourn the 
loss of our sovereignty. Jewish communities all over the world lament 
the beginning of our national exile where throughout two millennia we 
continuously expressed a spiritual connection to our ancestral 
homeland, a longing to return home and regain our independence.
  Yet today, at this moment in my people's history, gathering on 
Capitol Hill to celebrate 75 years of Israeli independence with our 
greatest partner and friend, the United States of America, my soul is 
overflowing with pride and joy.
  The people of Israel are grateful to no end for the ancient promise 
fulfilled and for the friendship we have forged.
  In 1949, the President of the United States of America, Harry S. 
Truman, met with the Chief Rabbi of the newly established State of 
Israel, my grandfather, Rabbi Yitzhak Isaac Halevi Herzog, in the Oval 
Office.
  This was just a few years after each of them pleaded and campaigned 
for the rescue of Europe's Jews being slaughtered in the Holocaust by 
the Nazis.
  In speaking to President Truman, Rabbi Herzog thanked him for being 
the first world leader to officially recognize the State of Israel, 11 
minutes after its foundation. He spoke, Rabbi Herzog, of the divine 
providence that

[[Page H3705]]

destined President Truman to help bring about the rebirth of Israel 
after 2,000 years of exile. Witnesses of the encounter recalled tears 
running down President Truman's cheeks.
  We are honored to have President Truman's grandson, Clifton Truman 
Daniel, with us here today.
  When the State of Israel was established in 1948, the land which the 
Almighty promised to Abraham, to which Moses led the Israelites, the 
land of the Bible, of milk and honey, evolved into an exquisite land of 
democracy.
  Against all odds, the Jewish people returned home and built a 
national home, which became a beautiful Israeli democracy, a mosaic of 
Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Circassians, secular, 
traditional, and orthodox, of all denominations and all possible views 
and lifestyles; a land which welcomed the ingathering of exiles from 
over 100 nations; a land which became the startup nation, a bustling 
hub of innovation and creativity, social action, and intellectual 
discovery, spiritual awakening, business ventures, scientific 
ingenuity, and lifesaving medical breakthroughs.
  We built a nation-state which has faced relentless war, terror, and 
delegitimization since its birth, a country fighting to defend itself 
from enemy and foe yet whose citizens continue to greet each other with 
the word ``peace,'' ``shalom''; a country which takes pride in its 
vibrant democracy, its protection of minorities, human rights, and 
civil liberties as laid down by its parliament, the Knesset, and 
safeguarded by its strong Supreme Court and independent judiciary; a 
state founded on complete equality of social and political rights to 
all its inhabitants, irrespective of religion, race, or gender, as 
stipulated explicitly in Israel's Declaration of Independence; a 
country which is ever-evolving, a diverse amalgam of accents, beliefs, 
backgrounds, and customs. Truly, a modern-day miracle--this is the 
sweetness in which our country has been blessed.
  However, dear friends, the bitter casts a dark shadow on our country, 
on our region, and on the world.
  Mr. Speaker, perhaps the greatest challenge Israel and the United 
States face at this time together is the Iranian nuclear program.
  Let there be no doubt: Iran does not strive to attain nuclear energy 
for peaceful purposes. Iran is building nuclear capabilities that pose 
a threat to the stability of the Middle East and beyond. Every country 
or region controlled or infiltrated by Iran has experienced utter 
havoc. We have seen this in Yemen, in Gaza, in Syria, in Lebanon, and 
in Iraq. In fact, we have seen this in Iran itself, where the regime 
has lost its people and is suppressing them brutally.
  Iran has spread hatred, terror, and suffering throughout the Middle 
East and beyond, adding fuel to the disastrous fire and suffering in 
Ukraine. Iran is the only nation on the planet publicly calling, 
plotting, and developing means to annihilate another nation, a member 
of the family of nations, the State of Israel.
  Israel has no border with Iran. Israel has no resources contested by 
Iran. Israel has no conflict with the Iranian people. Yet, the Iranian 
regime, together with its proxies throughout the Middle East, is aiming 
and working toward destroying the State of Israel, killing the Jews, 
and challenging the entire free world.
  Allowing Iran to become a nuclear threshold state, whether by 
omission or by diplomatic commission, is unacceptable.
  The world cannot remain indifferent to the Iranian regime's call to 
wipe Israel off the map. Tolerating this call, and Iran's measures to 
realize it, is an inexcusable moral collapse.
  Backed by the free world, Israel and the United States must act 
forcefully together to prevent Iran's fundamental threat to 
international security.
  I am here to reiterate what every Israeli leader has declared for 
decades: The State of Israel is determined to prevent Iran from 
acquiring nuclear weapon capabilities.
  We are proud to be the United States' closest partner and friend. We 
are grateful to the United States for the necessary means you have 
provided us to keep our qualitative military edge and to allow us to 
defend ourselves by ourselves. This reflects your ongoing commitment to 
Israel's security.
  We are also tremendously proud that ours is a two-way alliance in 
which Israel has been making critical contributions to the national 
security and interests of the United States of America in numerous 
ways.
  Thank you, dear Members of Congress, for your support of Israel 
throughout history and at this critical moment in time.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no question that the peace which the United 
States brokered between Israel and its neighbors has revolutionized the 
Middle East.
  The historic peace treaties with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the 
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan have demonstrated the many blessings of 
opting out of the cycle of war. Both Jordan and Egypt have contributed 
tremendously to solidifying the precious peace and enhancing our 
region's stability and well-being.
  Three years ago, the Abraham Accords realigned our imaginations, our 
nation, and our region. Israel eagerly welcomed the United Arab 
Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Kingdom of Morocco into an 
exclusive, warm peace between our peoples.
  Since signing the accords, over 1 million Israelis have visited the 
Abraham nations, a clear expression of our will to become integrated in 
the region. This is a peace anchored in trust, hope, and prosperity, a 
true game changer.
  Each of these historic agreements, which have altered the trajectory 
of the Middle East, was facilitated by our greatest friend, the United 
States of America.
  Israel's hand is extended and our heart is open to any partner in 
peace, near or far. Israel thanks the United States for working toward 
establishing peaceful relations between Israel and the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia, a leading nation in the region and in the Muslim world. We pray 
for this moment to come. This would be a huge sea change in the course 
of history in the Middle East and the world at large.
  Mr. Speaker, my deep yearning is for Israel to one day make peace 
with our Palestinian neighbors.
  Over the years, Israel has taken bold steps toward peace and made 
far-reaching proposals to our Palestinian neighbors. However, true 
peace cannot be anchored in violence. Notwithstanding the deep 
political differences and the numerous challenges that surround the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and relations--and I do not ignore them--
but it should be clear that one cannot talk about peace while condoning 
or legitimizing terror, implicitly or explicitly. True peace cannot be 
anchored in violence.
  Palestinian terror against Israel or Israelis undermines any 
possibility for a future of peace between our peoples.
  Israelis are targeted while waiting for buses, while taking a stroll 
on the promenade, while spending time with their family. At the same 
time, successful terror attacks are celebrated, terrorists are 
glorified, and their families are financially rewarded for every 
Israeli they attack. This is inconceivable. It is a moral disgrace.
  Terror is not a bump in the road. Terror is hatred and bloodshed. It 
contradicts humanity's most basic principles of peace. Israel cannot 
and will not tolerate terror, and we know that in this we are joined by 
the United States of America.
  Two Israeli officers, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, and two civilians, 
Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu, are being held hostage by Hamas for 
years for the sole purpose of torturing the families they left behind.
  Lieutenant Hadar Goldin was abducted in violation of a U.N.-sponsored 
humanitarian cease-fire negotiated by the United States. His family has 
been fighting for 9 years to bring him home. I asked Hadar Goldin's 
mother, Leah, to be with us here today. We pray for her son's return, 
as well as the three other Israelis'.
  We pray for the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy: ``Nation shall not 
take up sword against nation; neither shall they know war anymore.''
  The younger generation of Israelis and Palestinians deserve better. 
They are all worthy of a future to look towards, a future of peace and 
prosperity, and a future of hope. I am wholeheartedly committed to this 
vision, a vision of hope and peace--true peace--without any terror.
  Mr. Speaker, dear friends, the sacred bond we share is unique in 
scope and

[[Page H3706]]

quality because it is based on values that reach across generations, 
across administrations, and across governments and coalitions, carrying 
us through times of turmoil and elation.
  One hundred sixty years ago, it was President Abraham Lincoln who 
spoke of the dream to restore the Jews to their national home as one 
shared by many Americans.
  The inscription on Philadelphia's Liberty Bell articulates the Hebrew 
Bible's code of ethics: ``Proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto 
all the inhabitants thereof.''
  This verse from Leviticus, shining through the crack of the Liberty 
Bell, underscores the principles that fuel the American Dream. These 
words have bound our nations through the ages. Coming together today in 
this Chamber of liberty and freedom, we are all realizing the hopes of 
our founding fathers and mothers.
  We are very proud--so very proud--of the true friendship we have 
forged. It is a mutually beneficial partnership that has withstood 
challenges and weathered great disagreements because it is based not on 
uniformity of approach but on the ultimate currency of trust. It is not 
dependent upon operating in harmony, but on the history we share, on 
the truths we cherish, and on the values we embody.
  This partnership is based also on similarities and the affinity 
between our peoples, the courageous immigrants and the trailblazing 
pioneers.
  It is rooted deep in our respective Declarations of Independence. In 
the American Declaration of Independence, the Founders appealed to the 
Supreme Judge of the World. In the Israeli Declaration of Independence, 
influenced by America's, our founders placed their trust in the Rock of 
Israel, Tsur Yisrael.
  The revered American Jewish spiritual leader, Rabbi Abraham Joshua 
Heschel, embodied the bridge between our peoples and the story of 
American Jewry. After escaping from the Holocaust, Rabbi Heschel 
publicly advocated interfaith dialogue. He fought for civil liberties 
in America and marched alongside Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 
in the historic march from Selma to Montgomery in March of 1965.
  Rabbi Heschel wrote: ``To be is to stand for.''
  ``To be is to stand for.''
  I am so pleased to have his daughter, Professor Susannah Heschel of 
Dartmouth, join us here today. Thank you, Susannah.
  Susannah, your father reminds us that the principles we defend make 
us what we are.
  Ultimately, Israel and the United States stand--and, indeed, have 
always stood--for the same values. Our two nations are both diverse, 
life-affirming societies that stand for liberty, equality, and freedom. 
At our core, both our peoples seek to repair the cracks in our world.
  Having said this, I am well aware that our world is changing. A new 
generation of Israelis and Americans are assuming leadership roles. 
They are a generation that was not privy to the hardship of Israel's 
formative years, a generation that is less engaged in the roots that 
connect our peoples, and a generation that, perhaps, takes for granted 
the U.S.-Israel relationship.
  Yet, at this moment I am optimistic because to me it is clear that 
the shift in generations does not reflect changing values, nor does it 
indicate changes in our interests. When the United States is strong, 
Israel is stronger, and when Israel is strong, the United States is 
more secure.
  Today, my dear friends, we are provided the opportunity to reaffirm 
and redefine the future of our relationship. Each of us here has a 
decisive role in the future we are building.
  Many of the challenges Israel and the United States face are similar. 
We are all experiencing a tumultuous shift in balance evident in 
countless areas: geopolitical unrest, big power competition, 
catastrophic war in Ukraine, pandemics, climate crisis, the unknown of 
artificial intelligence, energy shortages, food insecurity, scarcity of 
water and desertification, global terror, social polarization, and the 
attempts to destabilize democracy.
  Each of these challenges presents an opportunity to seek out 
solutions together which will benefit the global community. Israel has 
the ability to contribute in a unique and significant fashion to 
addressing these challenges. Israel and the United States are world 
leaders in aiding countries whose peoples have suffered. Our 
collaborative capabilities, coupled with our mutually beneficial 
partnership, are the key to the future of our children.
  To us, it is clear that America is irreplaceable to Israel, and 
Israel is irreplaceable to America. It is time to design the next stage 
of our evolving friendship and our growing partnership together.
  So let's do it together, ladies and gentlemen. Let's elevate our 
partnership to new levels.
  Mr. Speaker, I am not oblivious to criticism among friends, including 
some expressed by respected Members of this House. I respect criticism, 
especially from friends, although one does not always have to accept 
it.
  However, criticism of Israel must not cross the line into negation of 
the State of Israel's right to exist. Questioning the Jewish people's 
right to self-determination is not legitimate democracy. It is anti-
Semitism. Vilifying and attacking Jews, whether in Israel, in the 
United States, or anywhere else in the world, is anti-Semitism.
  Anti-Semitism is a disgrace in every form, and I commend President 
Joe Biden for laying out the United States' first ever National 
Strategy to Combat Anti-Semitism.

  Dear friends, it is no secret that over the past few months the 
Israeli people have engaged in a heated and painful debate. We have 
been immersed in voicing our differences and revisiting and 
renegotiating the balance of our institutional powers in the absence of 
a written constitution.
  In practice, the intense debate going on back home, even as we speak, 
is the clearest tribute to the fortitude of Israel's democracy.
  Israel's democracy has always been based on free and fair elections, 
on honoring the people's choice, on safeguarding minority rights, on 
protection of human and civil liberties, and on a strong and 
independent judiciary.
  Our democracy is also 120 members of Knesset comprised of Jews, 
Muslims, Christians, or Druze representing every opinion under the 
Israeli Sun working and debating side by side.
  Our democracy is also late Friday afternoon, when the sound of the 
Muezzin calling to prayer blends with the siren announcing the Sabbath 
in Jerusalem while one of the largest and most impressive LGBTQ Pride 
parades in the world is going on in Tel Aviv.
  Our democracy is also reflected in protesters taking to the streets 
all across the country to emphatically raise their voices and fervently 
demonstrate their points of view. Our democracy is the blue and white 
Israeli flag waved and loved fervently taking part in the debate.
  I am well aware of the imperfections of Israeli democracy, and I am 
conscious of the questions posed by our greatest of friends. The 
momentous debate in Israel is painful and deeply unnerving because it 
highlights the cracks within the whole.
  As President of Israel, I am here to tell the American people and 
each of you that I have great confidence in Israeli democracy. Although 
we are working through sore issues, just like you, I know our democracy 
is strong and resilient. Israel has democracy in its DNA.
  I am deeply mindful of the challenge which this moment presents to 
Israeli society, and I have made it the priority of my Presidency to 
play a leading role in this critical and emotional public discussion.
  I will say to you, dear friends, in English what I have said to my 
people, my sisters and brothers, in Hebrew back home.
  As a Nation, we must find a way to talk to each other, no matter how 
long it takes. As Head of State, I will continue doing everything to 
reach broad public consensus and to preserve, protect, and defend the 
State of Israel's democracy.
  Dear friends, for so many Israelis, this very public debate is also 
very personal. It is now a little after 6 p.m. in Israel. They will 
soon sit down to dinner, together, beside family or friends, with whom 
they may severely disagree, but they are and they will always remain 
family.
  Israel and the United States will inevitably disagree on many 
matters, but we will always remain family.
  Our evolutionary societies have so much to give to the world and so 
much

[[Page H3707]]

to learn from each other. Our bond may be challenged at times, but it 
is absolutely unbreakable.
  The Israeli national anthem, ``Hatikva,'' is a song of hope. The late 
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks wrote that in Judaism, hope is an active 
virtue, which requires a great deal of courage.
  Hope is the belief that together we can make the world better, that 
we can overcome any setbacks and heal the fractures in our world.
  Israel's first 75 years were rooted in an ancient dream. Let us base 
our next 75 years on hope, our shared hope, that we can heal our 
fractured world as the closest of allies and friends.
  Thank you, Members of both Houses, for celebrating Israel's 
independence. ``Am Yisrael Chai.'' ``The people of Israel Live.'' God 
bless the State of Israel, and God bless the United States of America.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  At 11 o'clock and 53 minutes a.m., His Excellency Isaac Herzog, 
President of the State of Israel, accompanied by the committee of 
escort, retired from the Hall of the House of Representatives.
  The Assistant to the Sergeant at Arms escorted the invited guests 
from the Chamber.

                          ____________________