Democrat Congressman to skip Israeli President’s speech.

Rep. Jamaal Bowman to Boycott Israeli President’s Address

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) announced on July 13 that he will boycott Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s address before a joint session of Congress next week.

When asked if he’ll be attending the July 19 address, Bowman firmly responded, “No.”

“I don’t believe Israel has done enough to protect and uplift Palestinian rights and lives,” stated Mr. Bowman.

He further expressed concern about the escalating violence in the region and emphasized that Palestinians are living under “occupation,” despite being under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.

Bowman has been advocating for full citizenship for Palestinians in Israel and believes that a two-state solution is necessary to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“Unfortunately, we are nowhere near achieving that,” added the congressman from New York.

Pro-Israel groups criticized Bowman’s decision to boycott President Herzog’s speech.

“J Street is aligned with the anti-Israel fringe. J Street’s ‘champion’ @JamaalBowmanNY is boycotting the Israeli president’s speech to Congress. Undermining Democratic support for Israel… @jstreetdotorg is many things, but it’s not pro-Israel,” posted AIPAC on Twitter.

The Epoch Times has reached out to J Street, a progressive organization highly critical of Israel, for comment.

“Far-left radical Democrat @JamaalBowmanNY will boycott Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s speech to Congress, joining antisemite @IlhanMN,” the Republican Jewish Coalition said in a tweet.

“Remember when @USJewishDems congratulated Bowman and said they were ‘confident he is committed to the priorities of Jewish voters’? We do,” continued the RJC, referring to the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), which congratulated Bowman on winning his first primary in 2020, upsetting incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), who was a pro-Israel Democrat member of Israel.

The Epoch Times has reached out to the JDCA for comment.

Others to Skip Address

Mr. Bowman joins Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) as the members of Congress who have said they will skip Mr. Herzog’s address.

“No way in hell,” said Ms. Omar when asked by the startup online publication The Messenger if she will attend the address.

Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.), and Cori Bush (D-Mo.) declined to comment on their attendance for the speech. Like Mr. Bowman and Ms. Omar, these progressive Democrats have a history of being critical of Israel.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announc