(Photo: Noam Moshkovich | Knesset Press Office)

By Smartencyclopedia Staff

On Sunday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy arrived in Israel and is set to become the second-ever U.S. House speaker to deliver a speech at the Knesset.

McCarthy’s visit to Israel represents the culmination of decades of American politics surrounding Israel, where Republicans have increasingly embraced pro-Israel stances in foreign affairs while also considering the impact on their domestic support from evangelical Christian voters. This visit comes at a time when McCarthy is engaged in his first significant power struggle as House Speaker against U.S. President Joe Biden, further complicating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s optics, especially after a similar issue with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Welcome to Israel, @SpeakerMcCarthy! 🇺🇸🤝🇮🇱

(Photo: Noam Moshkovich | Knesset Press Office)

ברוך הבא לישראל, יו״ר בית הנבחרים של ארה״ב קווין מקארת׳י! 🇮🇱🤝🇺🇸

(צילום: נועם מושקוביץ | דוברות הכנסת) pic.twitter.com/SR6XMCENZv

— Amir Ohana – אמיר אוחנה (@AmirOhana) April 30, 2023

The supporters of Israel have expressed concern about Netanyahu’s political tactics, which they believe have accelerated the process of Israel, a country that has traditionally enjoyed support from both parties, becoming a divisive topic. According to a recent Gallup poll, Democrats tend to show more empathy towards Palestinians than Israelis. Furthermore, the poll found that Republican views on the matter have remained largely unchanged, with 78 percent of them supporting Israel and 11 percent supporting Palestinians or having no opinion.

A recent example of this was seen when a bipartisan House resolution, authored by Republicans, was presented in honor of Israel’s 75th Independence Day. The resolution broke from tradition by omitting any mention of a two-state solution, causing 18 Democrats to take the unusual step of voting against it. Many other Democrats also expressed disappointment over the language used in the resolution, which put them in a difficult position.

Shortly after becoming the House Speaker in January, Kevin McCarthy, a Republican leader, was invited by Knesset speaker and Netanyahu ally Amir Ohana to visit Israel. McCarthy is leading a bipartisan delegation of 16 lawmakers, including six Democrats who are known for their unwavering support for Israel but have been hesitant to publicly criticize Israeli policy and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s proposed judicial overhaul.

Rep Jared Moskowitz, one of the lawmakers in the delegation, has taken the unusual step of urging his colleagues not to publicly pressure the Israeli government regarding its plans. He has adopted the increasingly common Republican position that the debate is an internal Israeli matter and that U.S. politicians should refrain from involvement.

McCarthy’s decision to include certain Republican members in the delegation was purposeful and based on logical considerations. For instance, Rep. Julia Letlow was chosen due to her strong support for Israel, Rep. Bruce Westerman due to his close ties with the evangelical community, and Rep. Mike Lawler due to the significant Jewish presence in his New York district. Rep. Max Miller, a freshman lawmaker and one of only two Jewish Republicans in Congress, has emerged as a prominent figure among Republicans who are critical of progressive Democrats’ views on Israel. He introduced the resolution that resulted in Rep. Ilhan Omar’s removal from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The other Republican members included in the delegation are expected to leverage this visit to bolster their campaigns in upcoming competitive House races.

After President Biden criticized Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, McCarthy, and other prominent Republicans reinforced their support for Netanyahu. McCarthy praised him as a “patriot, statesman, and great friend of the United States of America,” and expressed his backing for Israel’s democracy. However, McCarthy did not comment on his own plans or whether he intends to invite Netanyahu to speak at the House, despite Biden’s statement that Netanyahu will not be invited to Washington in the near future.

Netanyahu’s close relationship with the House speaker is similar to the issue he faced last week with Florida Governor DeSantis. Israeli media speculated that Netanyahu did not want to offend Biden by publicly acknowledging his meeting with DeSantis, and now, McCarthy’s relationship with the U.S. president is a more pressing matter.

The White House and the House speaker are currently embroiled in significantly heated and high-stakes disagreements over McCarthy’s plans to raise the debt ceiling through 2024 and slash government spending, which narrowly passed the House despite Biden’s demands for a so-called “clean” debt ceiling increase.

The Biden administration has a strong stance against negotiating with McCarthy, who narrowly oversaw the proposal’s passage in the House last week. However, House Democrats are more inclined to support negotiations, despite Biden’s position. Two of the six Democrats on the trip, namely Reps. Greg Landsman and Jimmy Panetta, belong to the “Problem Solvers Caucus,” a group of bipartisan lawmakers aiming for centrist compromise. This caucus has drawn criticism from left-leaning Democrats for undermining their negotiating power and serving as a conduit for special interest groups. It remains to be seen if Landsman and Panetta will initiate negotiations with McCarthy on the trip, against the explicit wishes of the White House.

Source: With Agencies