 the Israeli president, stepping to the podium to address a joint session of Congress, to the applause of the vast majority of the members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate, and obviously an important, I think, and proud moment for many Israelis. And we can see a standing ovation as the Israeli President Isaac Herzog made his way down the U.S. Congress aisles toward the podium, shaking hands with Vice President Kamala Harris as well as the Speaker of the House, Kevin McCarthy. We're going to dip in now once this applause ends. It's likely that Isaac Herzog will commence his address, a rare one, and only the second Israeli president to do so, following his father who gave a similar address in 1987. Let's dip in now to have a listen to Isaac Herzog. Members of the Congress, I have the high privilege and distinct honor to present to you his Excellency, Isaac Herzog, President of the State of Israel. Madam Vice President, Mr. Speaker, on November 10th, 1987, I was sitting at home with my wife, Michal, expecting our first child. We were watching the first Israeli president, invited to address a joint session of Congress in honor of Israel's 40th Independence Day. That president was my father. Standing here today representing the Jewish Democratic State of Israel in its 75th year at the very podium from which my late father, President Heim Herzog, spoke, is in the honor of a lifetime, and I thank you wholeheartedly for it. I was born and raised in Israel, but my father's diplomatic post at the United Nations brought my family to New York in the 1970s. During high school, I volunteered with a legal aid society for the elderly in Brooklyn, New York. I volunteered with the impoverished and the underprivileged elderly, including war veterans and Holocaust survivors who gave their best years to the country they loved. My mentor at the organization was a subtle, reserved professional. She was strictly business. The moment she broke character has remained with me for almost 50 years. It was the day she told me the love of her life died fighting for Israel. Her fiancée, a tall, bright American Jewish boy, was inspired by the Zionist dream and the Jewish people's desire for independence. He voluntarily boarded a ship to Haifa, fought in the Israeli military and fell in the battle for Israel's independence just weeks before their wedding. Although decades had gone by and she rebuilt her life, the cracks in her heart remained. That moment in which I learned of the life he gave for the state of Israel spoke to the very core of the bond forged between the people of the United States and the people of Israel. How the nations we built overcame loss. How deeply our stories complement each others. How far we have all come together. Speaker McCarthy, I thank you for hosting this festive joint session of Congress celebrating the first 75 years of Israel's independence. Just a few weeks ago, during your first trip abroad as speaker, you honored the Israeli people by addressing the Knesset in Jerusalem, the capital of the state of Israel and the Jewish people. Your sincere expression of friendship on behalf of the United States of America truly resonated with the Israelis. Thank you. President Harris, it is such a great pleasure to see you again. I vividly recall hosting you at the Knesset a few years back. Your stirring remarks at the Israeli Embassy's Independence Day reception a few weeks ago reflect both yours and President Biden's decades-long ironclad friendship with Israel. Special thanks go to former speaker Nancy Pelosi, who first invited me less than a year ago together with Senator Chuck Schumer. And special thanks to dear friends, Senate Minority Leader Senator Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Congressman Hakim Jeffries for this bipartisan, bicameral invitation. And my thanks also to the distinguished members of the escort committee for greeting me so beautifully. Mr. Speaker, dear friends, in Jewish weddings a glass is placed on the ground intentionally stomped on. This ritual evokes the destruction of our temple in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. Only after the glass is broken, the celebration can truly begin. Amidst the most joyous occasions in the lives of two individuals who have come together to build something whole, we recall what was once broken in our nation. Thus, the bitter blends with the sweet. Today, the Hebrew calendar points to the first day of the month of Av. In Jewish tradition, this is a somber period in which we mourn the loss of our sovereignty. Jewish communities all over the world lament the beginning of our national exile, where throughout two millennia we continuously expressed a spiritual connection to our ancestral homeland, longing to return home and regain our independence. Yet today, at this moment in my people's history, gathering on Capitol Hill to celebrate 75 years of Israeli independence with our greatest partner and friend, the United States of America, my soul is overflowing with pride and joy. The people of Israel are grateful to no end for the ancient promise fulfilled and for the friendship we have forged. In 1949, the President of the United States of America, Harry S. Truman, met with the Chief Rabbi of the newly established State of Israel, my grandfather, Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Alevi Herzog, in the Oval Office. This was just a few years after each of them pleaded and campaigned for the rescue of Europe's Jews being slaughtered in the Holocaust by the Nazis. In speaking to President Truman, Rabbi Herzog thanked him for being the first world leader to officially recognize the State of Israel 11 minutes after its foundation. He spoke, Rabbi Herzog, of the divine providence, the destined President Truman, to help bring about the rebirth of Israel after 2,000 years of exile. Witnesses of the encounter recalled tears running down President Truman's cheeks. We're honored to have President Truman's grandson, Clifton Truman Daniel, with us here today. When the State of Israel was established in 1948, the land which the Almighty promised Abraham, to which Moses led the Israelites, the land of the Bible, of milk and honey, evolved into an exquisite land of democracy. Against all odds, the Jewish people returned home and built a national home which became a beautiful Israeli democracy, a mosaic of Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and Circassians, secular, traditional and orthodox of all denominations, of all possible views and lifestyles. A land which welcomed the gathering of exiles from over 100 nations. A land which became the start-up nation, a bustling hub of innovation and creativity, social action and intellectual discovery, spiritual awakening and business ventures, scientific ingenuity and lifesaving medical breakthroughs. We built a nation state which has faced relentless war, terror and delegitimization since its birth. A country fighting to defend itself from enemy and foe, yet whose citizens continue to greet each other with the word peace, shalom. A country which takes pride in its vibrant democracy, its protection of minorities, human rights and civil liberties as laid down by its parliament, the Knesset, and safeguarded by its strong Supreme Court and independent judiciary. A state founded on complete equality of social and political rights to all its inhabitants, irrespective of religion, race or gender, as stipulated explicitly in Israel's Declaration of Independence. A country which is ever evolving, a diverse amalgam of accents, beliefs, backgrounds and customs, truly a modern-day miracle. This is the sweetness in which our country has been blessed. However, dear friends, the bitter casts a dark shadow on our country, on our region and on the world. Mr. Speaker, perhaps the greatest challenge Israel and the United States face at this time together is the Iranian nuclear program. Let there be no doubt, Iran does not strive to attend nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Iran is building nuclear capabilities that pose a threat to the stability of the Middle East and beyond. Every country or region controlled or infiltrated by Iran has experienced utter havoc. We have seen this in Yemen, in Gaza, in Syria, in Lebanon, in Iraq. In fact, we have seen this in Iran itself, where the regime has lost its people and is suppressing them brutally. Iran has spread hatred, terror and suffering throughout the Middle East and beyond, adding fuel to the disastrous fire and suffering in Ukraine. Iran is the only nation on the planet publicly calling, plotting and developing means to annihilate another nation and members of the family of nations, the state of Israel. Israel has no border with Iran. Israel has no resources contested by Iran. Israel has no conflict with the Iranian people. And yet, the Iranian regime, together with its proxies, throughout the Middle East, is aiming and working towards destroying the state of Israel, killing the Jews and challenging the entire world, the entire free world. Allowing Iran to become a nuclear threshold state, whether by omission or by diplomatic commission, is unacceptable. The world cannot remain indifferent to the Iranian regime's call to wipe Israel off the map. Tolerating this call and Iran's measures to realize it is an excusable moral collapse. Backed by the free world, Israel and the United States must act forcefully together to prevent Iran's fundamental threat to international security. I'm here to reiterate what every Israeli leader has declared for decades. The state of Israel is determined to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapon capabilities. Mr. Speaker, we are proud to be the United States closest partner and friend. We are grateful to the United States for the necessary means you have provided us to keep our qualitative military edge and to enable us to defend ourselves by ourselves. This reflects your ongoing commitment to Israel's security. We're also tremendously proud that ours is a two-way alliance in which Israel has been making critical contributions to the national security interests of the United States of America in numerous ways. Thank you, dear members of Congress, for your support of Israel throughout history and at this critical moment in time. Mr. Speaker, there is no question that the peace which the United States brokered between Israel and its neighbors has revolutionized the Middle East. The historic peace treaties with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan have demonstrated the many blessings of opting out of the cycle of war. Both Jordan and Egypt have contributed tremendously to solidifying the precious peace and enhancing our region's stability and well-being. Three years ago, the Abraham Accords realigned our imaginations and our nation and our region. Israel eagerly welcomed the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain, and the Kingdom of Morocco into an exclusive warm peace between our peoples. Since signing the Accords, over one million Israelis have visited the Abrahamic nations, a clear expression of our will to become integrated in the region. This is a peace anchored in trust, hope, and prosperity, a true game changer. Each of these historic agreements which have altered the trajectory of the Middle East was facilitated by our greatest friends, the United States of America. Israel's hand is extended, and our heart is open to any partner in peace near or far. Israel thanks the United States for working towards establishing peaceful relations between Israel and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a leading nation in the region, and in the Muslim world. We pray for this moment to come. And this would be a huge sea change in the course of history in the Middle East and the world at large. My deep yearning, Mr. Speaker, is for Israel to one day make peace with our Palestinian neighbors. Israel has taken both steps towards peace and made far-reaching proposals to our Palestinian neighbors. However, true peace cannot be anchored in violence, notwithstanding the deep political differences and the numerous challenges that surround the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and relations. And I do not ignore them. It should be clear that one cannot talk about peace while condoning and legitimizing terror implicitly or explicitly. True peace cannot be anchored in violence. Palestinian terror against Israel or Israelis undermines any possibility for a future of peace between our peoples. Israelis are targeted while waiting for buses, while taking a stroll on the promenade, while spending time with a family. At the same time, successful terror attacks are celebrated, terrorists are glorified, and their families are financially rewarded for every Israeli they attack. This is inconceivable. It is a moral disgrace. Terror is not a bump in the road. Terror is hatred and bloodshed. It contradicts humanity's most basic principles of peace. Israel cannot and will not tolerate terror. And we know that in this, we are joined by the United States of America. Two Israeli soldiers, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin and two civilians, Isham al-Said and Averamin Gistu, are being held hostage by Hamas for years for the sole purpose of torturing their families and the families they left behind. Lieutenant Hadar Goldin was abducted in violation of a UN-sponsored humanitarian ceasefire negotiated by the United States. His family has been fighting for nine years to bring him home. I asked Hadar Goldin's mother, Lea, to be with us here today. We pray for her son's return as well as the three other Israelis. We pray for the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy. Nation shall not take up sword against nation. Neither shall they know war anymore. The younger generation of Israelis and Palestinians deserve better. They are all worthy of a future to look towards, a future of peace and prosperity, a future of hope. And I'm wholeheartedly committed to this vision, a vision of hope and peace, true peace without any terror. Mr. Speaker, dear friends, the sacred bond we share is unique in scope and quality because it is based on values that reach across generations, across administrations, across governments and coalitions, carrying us through times of turmoil and elation. 160 years ago, it was President Abraham Lincoln who spoke of the dream to restore the Jews to their national home as one was shared by many Americans. The inscription on Philadelphia's Liberty Bell articulates the Hebrew Bible's code of ethics, proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto the inhabitants thereof. This verse from Leviticus, shining through the crack of the Liberty Bell, underscores the principles that fuel the American dream. These words have bound our nations through the ages. Coming together today in this chamber of liberty and freedom, we're all realizing the hopes of our founding fathers and mothers. We are very proud, so very proud, of the true friendship we have forged, a mutually beneficial partnership that has withstood challenges and weathered great disagreements because it is based not on uniformity of approach but on the ultimate currency of trust. It is not dependent upon operating in harmony but on the history we share, on the truths we cherish, on the values we embody. This partnership is based also on similarities and the affinity between our peoples, the courageous immigrants and the trailblazing pioneers. It is rooted deep in our respective declarations of independence. In the American Declaration of Independence, the founders appealed to the supreme judge of the world in the Israeli Declaration of Independence, influenced by America's, our founders placed their trust in the rock of Israel. So Israel, the revered American Jewish spiritual leader, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, embodied the bridge between our peoples and the story of American Jewry. After escaping from the Holocaust, Rabbi Heschel publicly advocated interfaith dialogue. He fought for civil liberties in America and marched alongside Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the historic march from Selma to Montgomery in March of 1965. Rabbi Heschel wrote, to be is to stand for. To be is to stand for. I'm so pleased to have his daughter, Professor Susanna Heschel of Dartmouth, joining us here today. Thank you, Susanna. Susanna, your father reminds us that the principles we defend make us what we are. Ultimately, Israel and the United States stand and indeed have always stood for the same values. Our two nations are both diverse, life-affirming societies that stand for liberty, equality and freedom. At our core, both our peoples seek to repair the cracks in the world. Having said this, I'm really well aware that our world is changing. A new generation of Israelis and Americans are assuming leadership roles. A generation that was not privy to the hardship of Israel's formative years. A generation that is less engaged in the roots that connect our peoples. A generation that perhaps takes for granted the U.S.-Israel relationship. Yet, at this moment, I am optimistic. Because to me it is clear that the shifting generations does not reflect changing values, nor does it indicate changes in our interests. When the United States is strong, Israel is stronger. When Israel is strong, the United States is more secure. Today, my dear friends, we are provided the opportunity to reaffirm and redefine the future of our relationship. Each of us here has a decisive role in the future we are building. Many of the challenges Israel and the United States face are similar. We are all experiencing a tumultuous shift in balance, evident in countless areas. Geopolitical unrest, big power competition, catastrophic war in Ukraine, pandemics, climate crisis, the unknown of artificial intelligence, energy shortages, food insecurity, scarcity of water and desertification, global terror, social polarization, and the attempts to destabilize democracy. Each of these challenges present an opportunity to seek out solutions together, which will benefit the global community. Israel has the ability to contribute in a unique, significant fashion to addressing these challenges. Israel and the United States are world leaders in aiding countries whose peoples have suffered. Our collaborative capabilities, coupled with our mutual beneficial partnership are the key to the future of our children. To us it is clear that America is irreplaceable to Israel and Israel is irreplaceable to America. It is time to design the next stage of our evolving friendship and our growing partnership together. So let's do it together, ladies and gentlemen. Let's elevate our partnership to new levels. Mr. Speaker, I'm not oblivious to criticism among friends, including some expressed by respected members of this House. I respect criticism, especially from friends, although one does not always have to accept it. Criticism of Israel must not cross the line into negation of the state of Israel's right to exist. Questioning the Jewish people's right to self-determination is not legitimate diplomacy, it is anti-Semitism. Billifying and attacking Jews, whether in Israel, in the United States or anywhere else in the world, is anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism is a disgrace in every form. And I commend President Joe Biden for laying out the United States first-ever national strategy to combat anti-Semitism. Dear friends, it's no secret that over the past few months the Israeli people have engaged in a heated and painful debate. We have been immersed in voicing our differences and revisiting and renegotiating the balance of our institutional powers in the absence of a written constitution. In practice, the intense debate going on back home, even as we speak, is the clearest tribute to the fortitude of Israel's democracy. Israel's democracy has always been based on free and fair elections, on honoring the people's choice, on safeguarding minority rights, on protection of human and civil liberties, and on a strong and independent judiciary. Democracy is also 120 members of Knesset, comprised of Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, representing every opinion under the Israeli sun, working and debating side by side. Our democracy is also late Friday afternoon, when the sound of the Muazzin calling to prayer blends with the siren announcing the Sabbath in Jerusalem, while on one of the largest and most impressive LGBTQ pride parades in the world is going on in Tel Aviv. Democracy is also reflected in protesters taking to the streets all across the country to emphatically raise their voices and fervently demonstrate their points of view. Our democracy is the blue and white Israeli flag, waved and loved by all Israelis, taking part in the debate. I am well aware of the imperfections of Israeli democracy. And I'm conscious of the questions posed by our greatest of friends. The momentous debate in Israel is painful and deeply unnerving because it highlights the cracks in the hole within the entire home. And as president of Israel, I am here to tell the American people and each of you that I have great confidence in Israeli democracy. Although we are working through sour issues, just like you, I know our democracy is strong and resilient. Israel has democracy in its DNA. Be mindful of the challenge which this moment presents to Israeli society. And I've made it the priority of my presidency to play a leading role in this critical and emotional public discussion. I will say to you, dear friends in English, what I've said to my people, my sisters and brothers in Hebrew, back home. As a nation, we must find a way to talk to each other, no matter how long it takes. As head of state, I will continue doing everything to reach broad public consensus and to preserve, protect, and defend the state of Israel's democracy. Dear friends, for so many Israelis, this very public debate is also very personal. It is now a little after 6 PM in Israel. They will sit down to dinner together, besides family or friends, with whom they may severely disagree. But they are and they will always remain family. Israel and the United States will inevitably disagree on many matters. But we will always remain family. Our evolutionary societies have so much to give to the world and so much to learn from each other. Our bond may be challenged at times, but it is absolutely unbreakable. The Israeli national anthem, Hatikva, is a song of hope. The late rabbi, Lord Jonathan Sacks, wrote that in Judaism, hope is an active virtue which requires a great deal of courage. Hope is the belief that together we can make the world better, that we can overcome any setback and heal the fractures in our world. Israel's first 75 years were rooted in an ancient dream. Let us base our next 75 years on hope. Our shared hope that we can heal our fractured world as the closest of allies and friends. Thank you, members of both houses, for celebrating Israel's independence. I'm Israel Chai, blessed State of Israel, and God bless the United States of America. You were just listening to the long-awaited address by the Israeli President Isaac Herzog, the president of the State of Israel to a joint session of Congress. Let's cross now live to our senior US correspondent, Mike Wagenheim. Mike, a thunderous applause, standing ovations. It's almost hard to believe that some people won't even in the US chamber of Congress. Some would argue that across the Israeli political spectrum, as well as possibly the US, there were just an altogether unity and sense of pride. What was your main takeaway and your position being there in the flesh? We seem to be having connection issues. Mike, can you hear me? It seems like Mike is still in that noise of the chamber. The overwhelming applause there. But perhaps you're in studio with our senior diplomatic correspondent, Owen Ultimate, as well as the former Israeli ambassador to the US, Michael Oren. The biggest takeaway is from the speech that really was so long-awaited and was very heartfelt. An excellent speech? Excellent reception. Someone will count the standing ovations and compare them to the previous one. They already are on Twitter. So it always counts the standing ovations. Two takeaways. One, what he said about the Iran nuclear program that it should not have the ability to make a nuclear weapon. That is a very significant division between our position and the American position. President Biden says that the United States is committed to preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. But it does not say. He does not say. And the previous American president said that the United States is committed to preventing Iran from having the ability to make a nuclear weapon. And the threshold capacity is what truly threatens us. That's the ability to make a nuclear weapon very, very shortly. And what he didn't say, he did not mention the two-state solution, which is a very important buzzword for the Democrats. Didn't talk about how peace could be achieved with the Palestinians on what basis. And I'm sure people in the Democratic Party will point that out. Stay with us. I just want to cross now. I think we do have our US senior US correspondent, Mike Wagenheim there in the halls of Congress. Mike, the word democracy was passed around quite a lot in the speech. We were just saying the amount of standing ovations was also being counted. What can you tell us from your impression in the flesh there in the US Hall of Congress? I wanted to add on to what was said a moment ago. Yes, there was no roadmap to a two-state solution laid out there. I think what the president was speaking about was you can't even get to that or attempt to get to it until there's a recognition here that you can't lay a foundation for peace until terror is disavowed or at least you stop paying for it, essentially, as the Palestinians are doing for terrorists to commit acts against Israeli civilians and soldiers. So really, the message I think that Herzog was trying to convey is that it all has to start there. And then you can try to work your way forward, whether that's a viable plan or not. It's at least what he was trying to put forward. It really, I think, Herzog was trying to connect the two countries in a way that historical connections, biblical connections, but also the present day. And there's a recognition that what was 30 years ago, 40 years ago, 35 years ago when his father addressed Congress doesn't apply today anymore, those roots in Israel's founding. It's not really known about in this generation that we're seeing now, and this generation of Congress people don't really know about the historical ties. So I think the impression he was trying to lay down was those need to be renewed and renewed quickly to carry forward that relationship. Seeing you as correspondent Mike Wagenheim there in the halls of Congress, thank you so much for being with us and for that update. Owen, earlier in the broadcast, I made mention to Thomas Friedman, the famed New York Times columnist. And I want to read something that he had an interview with Biden yesterday, and he wrote, the US president is trying to be respectful of Israel's right to choose its own path without its American ally intervening in an internal matter. But also, that Biden expressed public support for the protest movement, and we just heard the Israeli president saying that criticism is welcome, it's even respected, but it doesn't have to be accepted. Right, I'm just going back to the speech for a moment. First of all, just want to reiterate and amplify what Michael Orrin said, right? That Iran point is a potential real point of division between the two governments. Israeli spokesman, we talked about this before the broadcast. Haven't always been consistent in saying what President Herzog said. One would imagine he did this in coordination. I would imagine with the prime minister's office, the National Security Council, before making a statement like that. So it's interesting that that reflects, at least, current Israeli thinking. And of course, we saw the two-state solution, absolutely true and fascinating. What was Isaac Herzog there to do today? He was there to do what Benjamin Netanyahu could not do. Benjamin Netanyahu, for his own political reasons, for example, a simple example, can it go to the podium and cite as an important part of the relationship between Israel and the United States, between the Jewish people and the American people? So I'm going to talk to the conservative rabbinical school, Abraham Joshua Eshel, for decades. Netanyahu couldn't do that. I don't know that Netanyahu, even without speaking about the two-state solution, could say all of what Isaac Herzog said on the Palestinian issue, for example. I don't know that Benjamin Netanyahu could have said all of what Isaac Herzog said about the judicial overhaul, or at least not being able to say it with the kind of credibility that Herzog said it. So he was there to do what Netanyahu couldn't to be able to put his face onto the US-Israel relationship to try to emphasize Israel's liberal face, Israel's pluralistic face. Remember, the Muslim Muezzin, the siren for the Jewish Sabbath, and the LGBTQ parade going on until they've evolved at the same time. And in that sense, I think the speech hit the mark. There are also some really interesting nuances there, right? He's there to preserve, protect, and defend Israeli democracy, right? An allusion to the oath of office taken by US presidents. So again, a well-crafted speech, even at the micro level, by people who really understand the United States. As for seeking about the protest movement, look. Bacha, you're right. It can be played both ways. It can be played as an example of the vibrancy of Israeli democracy, as the Herzog said, or as a movement that is talking about democracy being threatened in Israel. Obviously, it can be seen both ways. Isaac Herzog was there to achieve the message of bringing the two countries together, so naturally focused on the first. Gentlemen, I want to thank you both very much for being here. Unfortunately, we are running out of time. Senior diplomatic correspondent Owen Ultiman and the former Israeli ambassador to the US. Thank you very much, Michael Oren, for being here. To recap, Israeli president Isaac Herzog gave an address to a joint session of Congress, the second to do so.