Speaker Mike Johnson to address Israeli parliament June 22

Washington — House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday he will travel to Israel later this month to address the Israel's parliament, known as the Knesset, in Jerusalem.

"It will be one of the highest honors of my life to address the Israeli Knesset at this fateful moment," Johnson said in a statement announcing the June 22 address. "Our ties run deeper than military partnerships and trade agreements. We're bound by the same beliefs, the same psalms, and the same sacred pursuit of liberty."

Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, has led House Republicans in their staunch support of Israel in the war in Gaza that began following Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack. Johnson's speakership began weeks later, after the ouster of his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy.