Mike Johnson visited the West Bank, including Ariel, on Monday in the first-ever official visit by a US House speaker to the area.
“Judea and Samaria are the front lines of the State of Israel and must remain an integral part of it,” Johnson said during his visit. “Even if the world thinks otherwise, we stand with you,” he added.
The visit was organized by the Yesha Council, with senior council officials, including the governor of the Mateh Binyamin Regional Council and the chairman of the Yesha Council, Israel Ganz, CEO Omer Rahamim, and other local authority leaders, meeting with Johnson.
“This is a historic moment. US Ambassador Mike Huckabee said that while America has many allies and friends in the world, it has only one true partner: Israel. Today’s visit proves this beyond any doubt,” the chair of Republicans Overseas Israel, Marc Zell, said.
Zell participated in Johnson’s visit to Ariel University.
“This is a clear expression of US President Donald Trump’s unwavering support for Israel, and recognition that Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria is not an obstacle to peace, but rather an expression of the Jewish people’s historical and legal right to their land,” Zell added.
Johnson originally slated to address Knesset plenum
Johnson originally planned to visit Israel on June 22. He announced on June 16 that he would be postponing his visit due to the outbreak of the Israel-Iran war.
When Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana initially confirmed Johnson’s plans to visit Israel on June 11, the US House speaker responded by saying that “this will be one of the greatest moments of honor in my life.”
Per the original plans for the trip, Johnson is slated to become the third House speaker in history to address the Knesset plenum, following Newt Gingrich in 1998 and Kevin McCarthy in 2023. Notably, all three are members of the Republican Party.
“Today, the State of Israel and the Jewish people around the world are facing serious threats, and it is our moral duty to stand by our democratic sister. As terrorism and the vile antisemitic ideology threaten Western civilization, Israel must know that when America said ‘never again,’ we meant it,” Johnson said in June.
Reuters contributed to this report.