Rep. Jamaal Bowman speaking at a July 2020 meeting in New York City commemorating the late congressman and civil rights icon John Lewis. Photo: Reuters/Andrew Kelly

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) on Thursday told reporters that he was “probably going to be boycotting” Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s joint address to Congress on 19 July, citing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. 

Bowman’s comment follows Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN) announcement on Wednesday that there was “no way in hell” she would attend Herzog’s speech.

“We should not be inviting the President of Israel–a government who under its current prime minister barred the first two muslim women elected to congress from visiting the country–to give a joint address to Congress.” Omar tweeted in all-caps.Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) were denied permission to visit Israel in 2019 because of their support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement against Israel.

Bowman, who is a member of the so-called Squad of Democrats, has been among the most vehement critics of Israel in Congress. In April, Bowman and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) organized a letter to President Biden calling for “a shift in US policy” toward Israel and demanding that US aid to Israel be made conditional, citing Israel’s alleged human rights abuses.

Rabbi Jonathan Blake of Westchester Reform Temple, who in April led 12 other rabbis from Bowman’s district in condemning the Bowman-Sanders letter, told The Algemeiner that if Bowman does boycott Herzog’s speech, he’ll be doubling down on a reputation as one of Israel’s most biased detractors in the House.

“Bowman’s relentless smear tactics stand in stark contrast to President Herzog’s tireless work over the last 28 weeks of public Israeli protests calling for the preservation and strengthening of democracy,” Blake said. “While President Herzog pleads for negotiation and moderation in the face of a right-wing Israeli government whose extremists intend to undermine the Supreme Court and its essential role in upholding Israeli democracy, Rep. Bowman continues to showcase himself as an anti-Israel extremist with little appreciation or time for those Israeli leaders who actively seek a better future for Israel, her neighbors, and the Palestinians. 

Rep. Bowman did not immediately reply to The Algemeiner’s request for comment about Herzog’s address.

Omar and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) were denied permission to visit Israel in 2019 because of their support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement against Israel.

Republicans on Wednesday condemned Omar for her decision to boycott Herzog.

“[Ilhan Omar] is an anti-Semite whose radical views pervade the extreme House Democratic Caucus. Either they denounce her or they agree with her,” the National Republican Congressional Committee tweeted.

Herzog was invited to address Congress by the House and Senate leadership of both parties to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Israel’s founding.

In February, Omar was stripped of her position on the House Foreign Affairs Committee in a party line vote by a resolution that cited cited her past anti-Israel statements and use of antisemitic tropes, including her insinuation that AIPAC was paying American politicians to support Israel when she tweeted in 2019 that “it’s all about the Benjamins baby,” using slang for $100 bills.

Less than an hour before that vote, Omar co-sponsored a resolution that described Israel as a “trusted partner and ally” and condemned antisemitism.

Representative Omar did not immediately reply to The Algemeiner’s request for comment on whether she believes Israel is a “trusted partner and ally” in light of her decision to Boycott President Herzog’s address.

For its part, the Biden Administration said Thursday that it welcomed President Herzog’s visit and invited him to meet with President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House.

“President Biden will reaffirm the ironclad commitment of the United States to Israel’s security,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “The two leaders will discuss opportunities to deepen Israel’s regional integration and to create a more peaceful and prosperous Middle East.”