Democrat Congressman to Boycott Israeli President’s Joint Session Address

New York Democratic House candidate Jamaal Bowman greets supporters in Yonkers, N.Y., on June 23, 2020. (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) said on July 13 that he will boycott Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s address before a joint session of Congress next week.

When asked by The Epoch Times if he’ll be at the July 19 address, he said, “No.”

“I don’t think Israel has gone far enough in protecting and uplifting Palestinian rights and Palestinian lives,” Mr. Bowman said.

“The violence there’s been escalating over the last couple of years,” he said, adding that Palestinians are under “occupation” even though they are under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, not Israel.

Mr. Bowman noted he has “been calling for full citizenship for the Palestinians” in Israel and that there needs to be a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“And we’re nowhere near that,” the New York congressman said, referring to the prospects for a two-state solution.

Pro-Israel groups slammed Mr. Bowman for announcing he’ll pass on attending Mr. Herzog’s speech.

“J Street is aligned with the anti-Israel fringe. J Street’s ‘champion’ @JamaalBowmanNY is boycotting the Israeli president’s speech to Congress. Undermining Democratic support for Israel… @jstreetdotorg is many things, but it’s not pro-Israel,” posted AIPAC on Twitter.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog waves as he arrives at Number 10 Downing Street in central London on Nov. 23, 2021. (Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)

The Epoch Times has reached out to J Street, a progressive organization highly critical of Israel, for comment.

“Far left radical Democrat @JamaalBowmanNY will boycott Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s speech to Congress, joining antisemite @IlhanMN,” the Republican Jewish Coalition said in a tweet.

“Remember when @USJewishDems congratulated Bowman and said they were ‘confident he is committed to the priorities of Jewish voters’? We do,” continued the RJC, referring to the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), which congratulated Bowman on winning his first primary in 2020, upsetting incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who was a pro-Israel Democrat member of Israel.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the JDCA for comment.

Others to Skip Address

Mr. Bowman joins Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) as the members of Congress who have said they will skip Mr. Herzog’s address.

“No way in hell,” said Ms. Omar when asked by the startup online publication The Messenger if she will attend the address.

Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.) declined to answer to say if they will be in attendance for the speech. Like Mr. Bowman and Ms. Omar, the aforementioned progressive Democrats have a record of being critical of Israel.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced Mr. Herzog’s upcoming address on June 29.

Reportedly, Mr. Herzog will meet with President Joe Biden in what has been seen by some in the pro-Israel community as a continuation of Mr. Biden’s snubbing of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In March, Mr. Biden said he wouldn’t invite Mr. Netanyahu to the White House “in the near term” because of Mr. Netanyahu’s attempt to change Israel’s judiciary, an effort that’s opposed by Mr. Herzog. In response to Mr. Biden shutting the door on a meeting with Mr. Netanyahu in the near future, Mr. McCarthy said he would invite Mr. Netanyahu to Congress if Mr. Biden doesn’t reverse course.

“If that doesn’t happen, I’ll invite the prime minister to come meet with the House,” Mr. McCarthy told the newspaper Israel Hayom.

“He’s a dear friend, as a prime minister of a country that we have our closest ties with.”

Mr. McCarthy visited Israel in May and became the second sitting speaker to address the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.