Republicans refuse to applaud as Israeli president praises LGBTQ+ parade in Tel Aviv

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Republicans in Congress largely remained silent and did not applaud when Israeli President Isaac Herzog mentioned how Israel holds one of the largest gay pride parades in Tel Aviv after giving him numerous applauses throughout his joint address to Congress on Wednesday.

Mr Herzog spoke to Congress to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Israel’s founding and received rapturous applause from both sides of the aisle as he spoke about bipartisan support for Israel, criticised those who seek to delegitimise Israel as antisemitic and spoke about the mutual national security interests of the United States and Israel.

But later in his speech, Mr Herzog mentioned the multicultural nature of Israel, mentioning how the Jewish Shabbat coincides with the Muslim call to prayer.

“Our democracy is also late Friday afternoon, when the sound of the Muezzin calling to prayer blends with the siren announcing the Sabbath in Jerusalem, while one of the largest and most impressive LGBTQ pride parades in the world is going on in Tel Aviv,” he said.

The line triggered a standing ovation from Democrats, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who sat behind Mr Herzog.

But few Republicans stood up to applaud the moment. Last week, House Republicans voted for an amendment that would have restricted pride flags from being flown at US military properties. Few Republicans also voted to pass the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified protections for LGBT+ and interracial couples, last year when Democrats controlled the House of Representatives.

Republicans had hoped to keep the heat on Democrats given that a handful of progressives – including Reps Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tliab (D-MI) and Cori Bush (D-MO) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) – elected not to attend Mr Herzog’s speech.

Ms Jayapal also faced fierce criticism from even some in her own party after she said Israel was a “racist” state at the Netroots Nation conference this weekend. She later clarified and said she did not believe “the idea of Israel as a nation” was “racist.”

In response, Republicans proposed a resolution declaring that Israel was not a racist or apartheid state, rejected antisemitism and xenophobia, and reaffirmed US support for Israel. The legislation passed 412-9.