Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson visited the West Bank settlement of Ariel, together with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huchabee, in a highly unusual move from one of America's most powerful elected officials.
Johnson has long been an ally of the Israeli right, using his perch as House speaker to lend support to efforts bolstering right-wing positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (both in America and Israel).
According to Marc Zell, the chairman of Republicans Overseas Israel, Johnson said, "the mountains of Judea and Samaria are the rightful property of the Jewish People" while criticizing countries calling to recognize a Palestinian state.
Speaker Mike Johnson, now addressing the conference in Ariel, is the highest ranking U.S. federal official to visit Judea and Samaria. Amazing! pic.twitter.com/qNeu1yFwCI
Among the lawmakers joining Johnson on the trip are Rep. Claudia Tenney, who chairs the Friends of Judea and Samaria caucus that was established earlier this year in support of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
