Washington, DC — Jewish Voice for Peace Action applauds the members of Congress refusing to attend Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s address to a joint session of Congress. Herzog is coming to Congress to represent a government that implements racist policies against Palestinians under a well-documented system of apartheid and illegal military occupation.
It is undeniable that the Israeli government engages in discriminatory and outright racist policies. As affirmed by the UN, legacy human rights organizations, Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups, the Israeli government upholds separate and unequal legal systems for Palestinians and Israelis in the West Bank, continues to forcibly displace Palestinians from their land to encourage illegal Israeli settlement, and discriminates against Palestinian Americans trying to travel through an Israeli-controlled port of entry.
It is critically important that our elected officials openly discuss and criticize these policies—especially since the United States government provides $4 billion annually in funding to the Israeli military enforcing them.
“President Herzog is the head of state that is brutally oppressing millions of Palestinians through illegal military occupation and apartheid. It’s quite simple: Any member of Congress who believes in human rights should not attend or support his speech.”
Beth Miller, Government Affairs Director, Jewish Voice for Peace-Action