Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York became the most senior House Republican to address Israel's parliament since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks, delivering a speech on Sunday that introduced her party and spoke to President Biden and his supporters. As a true ally of the Jewish state, expected to strongly rebuke his fellow Democrats.
Stefanik's speech came as President Biden called on Israel to end the war in Gaza, building on a Republican political strategy to exploit divisions in the Democratic Party over Israel's response to the terrorist attacks. It has become a thing.
The strategy, which has been playing out in Congress for the past six months, includes a House vote on Thursday aimed at reprimanding Biden for suspending arms shipments to Israel and forcing his administration to move weapons quickly. It was mainly included symbolically.
Biden recently withheld military aid over concerns that Israel might use weapons against Rafah, a densely populated city in southern Gaza. The administration also informed Congress that it plans to sell more than $1 billion in new weapons to Israel.
“I've been clear at home and I'm going to be clear here,” Stefanik is expected to say in his speech, according to a prepared version of his remarks reviewed by the New York Times. “There is no excuse for the president of the United States to block aid to Israel.”
Her remarks were also intended to curry favor with former President Donald J. Trump, who mentioned Stefanik, a former aide to George W. Bush and a staunch defender of Mr. Trump, as his running mate. It seems to be a thing.
An old adage in American politics is that partisanship ends at the water's edge, but Stefanik's comments, with little regard for the principles or decency behind that unspoken rule, are a direct response to the former president. It may help strengthen her integrity.
Stefanik has positioned herself as one of Trump's staunchest defenders in Congress, a role she first took on during his first impeachment in 2019. In her prepared remarks Sunday, she mentioned Trump's name three times while highlighting some of the Trump administration's policies. Achievements include a series of Middle East agreements known as the Abraham Accords and the relocation of the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
“The extremism of the elites must not obscure the deep and abiding love of the American people for Israel,” Stefanik plans to say. “Americans feel a strong connection to their people. During this dark time, they opened up to you.”
In addition to speaking in the Jerusalem Hall of Parliament, Stefanik will meet with Israeli officials, visit religious sites and tour sites targeted in the October 7 attack.
Ms. Stefanik has played a high-profile role in Congressional investigations into anti-Semitism on college campuses. Her questioning of the presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania ultimately led to their resignations, making Stefanik the biggest star turn of this Congress.