Schneider Statement on President Herzog’s Address to Congress
WASHINGTON— Today, Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) released the following statement following Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s address:
“It was my great privilege today to join a standing room only audience to hear Israeli President Isaac Herzog deliver remarks to a joint session of Congress. I was particularly honored to be selected for the team to escort President Herzog into the House Chamber for his speech. Following his remarks, I gathered with colleagues and community leaders with the President to celebrate his speech and the 75 year special relationship between the United States and Israel. Lastly, I was proud to join my fellow co-chairs of the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Abraham Accords Caucus in a meeting with President Herzog to talk about the importance of the Accords and the possibilities they open.
“President Herzog began his historic remarks reflecting that his late father, Chaim Herzog, Israel’s 6th president, stood in the exact same spot to address congress on November 10, 1987. Almost thirty-six years later, Israel’s 11th president offered a sweeping vision that was a tremendous celebration of Israel’s historic and ironclad relationship with the United States. His representation of his country before the U.S. Congress is a remarkable symbol of the enduring and unshakable friendship of our two nations.
“Today, Israel is a vibrant democracy. As President Herzog pointed out, Israel is a state founded on the ‘complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants irrespective of religion, race or sex.’ Diverse citizens are represented in every facet of Israeli society, from the Knesset to the international U-20 soccer team.
“I share President Herzog’s concerns about Iran and his assessment that any capitulation to Iran in their pursuit of nuclear capabilities would be ‘an inexcusable moral collapse.’ Together, the United States and Israel must continue to work to ensure that Iran never succeeds in acquiring a nuclear weapon.
“Throughout my life, I have prayed for a just and lasting peace for Israel and all the people of the region. I have joyously celebrated Israel’s peace agreements with Egypt, Jordan, and the Abraham Accords countries—the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco. And, like President Herzog, I yearn for the conditions that will one day open the pathway for peace with the Palestinians through a directly negotiated two-state solution, resulting in a Jewish, democratic Israel living side-by-side a viable, vibrant Palestinian state in peace, security and prosperity.”
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