Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a photo opportunity today with His Excellency Yair Lapid, Alternate Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel, ahead of a bipartisan leadership meeting.  Below are the Speaker’s remarks:

 

Speaker Pelosi.  Good afternoon, and it is a good afternoon at a time to welcome the Foreign Minister of Israel to the Capitol once again.  I recall quite vividly your visit as a member of the Knesset a couple of – two, three years ago, where I welcomed you in the Minority Leader Office and now happy to have you in the Speaker's Office.

 

In any occasion, it is a privilege to talk about the importance of the U.S.-Israel bond.  It is one that is based on our mutual security.  It is based on our mutual values.  And it was, again, something that, that is a source of pride to all of us in the Congress who’ve worked on this.  It has always been – fortunately, Israel has always been bipartisan in the Congress of the United States, and it continues to be so.  We worked under President Obama with the Memorandum of Understanding in 2016.  We continue to work together – support of Israel, as is in support, again, of our national interest.  

 

I, myself, am personally excited about the Foreign Minister’s visit because, when my father was in Congress many years ago as a member of the New Deal under President Roosevelt, who he worshiped but nonetheless tried to, shall we say, push further into the establishment of the State of Israel.  So, for many of us, it's in our DNA.  For all of us, it’s at least bipartisan.  And it’s with great pride that I welcome Foreign Minister Lapid to the Capitol once again.

 

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