Israeli President Isaac Herzog is delivering a speech before the U.S. Congress today, Wednesday, as part of a visit aimed at reassuring the United States that democracy in Israel remains strong despite government attempts to make changes to the judicial system. U.S. President Joe Biden met with Herzog yesterday, Tuesday, and reaffirmed the close relationship between the two countries despite tensions between Washington and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government.
The presidency in Israel is largely ceremonial. Herzog follows in the footsteps of his father, Chaim Herzog, who was President of Israel in 1987 and had the rare opportunity to speak before a joint session of the U.S. Congress, which is one of the highest honors granted by Washington to prominent foreign figures. Congressional leaders invited Herzog last year to mark the 75th anniversary of Israel's founding.
However, delivering the speech is not without controversy. Relations between the two countries have been strained due to Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and what Washington sees as a steady decline in the chances of a two-state solution in relations with the Palestinians, along with the judicial reforms. These reforms limit the power of the Supreme Court while granting the government significant authority in appointing judges. Opponents of the reforms have taken to the streets in protests across Israel for months, considering them anti-democratic. Some Democratic members of Congress have stated that they will boycott Herzog's speech.
