Written by: All Israel News
Article source: mycharisma.com

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) arrived in Israel on Sunday, leading a delegation of House Republicans on his first foreign visit and first trip to Israel since he became speaker.

Johnson’s visit had been originally planned for June but was postponed due to the 12-Day War between Israel and Iran.

On Sunday, Johnson, along with Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX), Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), and Michael Cloud (R-TX) visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem to pray before meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.


“We’re so grateful to be in Israel, particularly on this day, recognizing the destruction of the two temples … it is such a moving time for us to be here at the Wailing Wall. We’ve offered our prayers, we’ve put our notes into the wall,” said Johnson, who has been vocal about his Christian beliefs and friendship toward Israel.

The delegation visited Jerusalem on Tisha B’Av, the fast day commemorating the destruction of both the First and Second Temples.

“Our prayer is that America will always stand with the people of Israel and we pray for the preservation and the peace of Jerusalem,” Johnson continued. “That’s what scripture tells us to do, it’s a matter of faith for us, and commitment that we have.”

In the guest book of the Western Wall he wrote, “May God continue to bless and protect the people of Israel and its greatest friend and ally, the United States.”

Following the delegation’s meeting with Defense Minister Katz, he thanked the American lawmakers “for their unwavering support and moral clarity in standing with Israel against its enemies, and for their vital voices in the efforts to bring all the hostages home and defeat the murderous terrorist organization Hamas.”

The meeting with Foreign Minister Sa’ar focused on “the importance of the U.S.-Israel alliance, the situation in Syria and Gaza, and the significance of Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria,” according to his office.

Sa’ar also addressed the “rampant antisemitism currently spreading across the world,” he said, raising “the Irish government’s intention to promote legislation aimed at banning imports from Judea and Samaria,” among several other issues.

He also spoke about the situation in Syria, where American and Israeli policies have diverged in recent months, as the U.S. moves to legitimize the regime of former terrorist and newly appointed president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

“We want two simple things in Syria: the first is security – to prevent the entrenchment of jihadist forces near our border. The second is to prevent harm to the Druze minority. The Druze in Syria have suffered a brutal and barbaric assault. There is now a humanitarian crisis in the As-Suwayda region,” Sa’ar stated.

He also addressed recent calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state, vowing that Israel wouldn’t “commit suicide.”

“We will not agree to a Palestinian state that would be a jihadist Hamas state and would leave Israel with indefensible borders,” he said.

Johnson’s trip was organized by the U.S.-Israel Education Association, whose founder and executive director, Heather Johnston, accompanied the delegation.

During his previous visit, Johnson was scheduled to address the Israeli Knesset. However, a source familiar with his plans told Jewish Insider that no such event is planned for this trip. The Speaker’s office has not released additional details about his itinerary.

Click here to KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE weekly newsletter.

> Please support Christian media and journalism in South Africa. Help us to spread the Word of God and take a stand for the truth by making a donation to our ministry. We appreciate your support. Click here to take hands with JOY! Magazine. 

Date published: 08/08/2025
Feature image: Speaker Mike Johnson at the Western Wall | x.com

DISCLAIMER
JOY! News is a Christian news portal that shares pre-published articles by writers around the world. Each article is sourced and linked to the origin, and each article is credited with the author’s name. Although we do publish many articles that have been written in-house by JOY! journalists, we do not exclusively create our own content. Any views or opinions presented on this website are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company.