Mike Johnson to address Knesset: "One of the greatest honors of my life"

United States House Speaker Mike Johnson has accepted the invitation of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and is expected to arrive for an official visit to Israel this month. As part of the visit, he is expected to address the Knesset plenum on June 22, 2025.

Johnson will become the third Speaker in the history of Israel-US relations to address the plenum, after Newt Gingrich did so in 1998 and Kevin McCarthy two years ago.

US House Speaker Mike Johnson stated: "This will be one of the greatest honor moments of my life to accept Knesset Speaker Ohana's invitation and address the Knesset at this fateful moment. Our ties run deeper than military partnerships and trade agreements. We are connected by the same beliefs, the same Psalms, and the same sacred pursuit of freedom. Today, the State of Israel and the Jewish people worldwide face serious threats, and it is our moral duty to stand alongside our democratic sister. As terror and abhorrent antisemitic ideology threaten Western civilization, Israel must know that when America said 'Never Again,' we meant it."

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana stated: "Mike Johnson is a great friend of the State of Israel and the Jewish people. From the first moment he was elected, he not only expressed his support in words but acted, even at the risk of his position, to help the State of Israel in its most difficult moments. I hold great appreciation for him, believe he is most worthy of the position, and I look forward to hosting him and hearing his words to the nation."

The visit is part of an ongoing relationship between the two that began in 2019 when Ohana served as Justice Minister and strengthened with Johnson's election to his current position. As recalled, just months after the October 7th attack, Johnson invited the Knesset Speaker for an official visit to Capitol Hill. During the visit that took place in February 2024, Chairman Ohana met with Johnson and senior American administration officials, accompanied by a delegation of Knesset members from both the opposition and coalition together with representatives of hostage families.