President Isaac Herzog marked 75 years of Israeli independence Wednesday in an address to the US Congress celebrating the country's friendship with Washington but warning against criticism of the government seeping into anti-Semitism.
Herzog's remarks came amid a row in the House of Representatives over the policies of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration that has highlighted fissures in Democratic Party support for the Middle Eastern ally.
"I am 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," he told a joint meeting of the US House and Senate, earning raucous applause.
"But 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."
Herzog holds a largely ceremonial role and is far less controversial than Netanyahu, but US President Joe Biden's party has nevertheless been convulsed by infighting over the visit.
A handful of congressional Democrats are longstanding critics of Israel's conservative-leaning government, accusing it of disenfranchising Palestinians, and boycotted the speech.
Nine Democrats voted against a resolution backing Israel brought Tuesday by top Republican Kevin McCarthy, the only US House speaker in 25 years to address the country's parliament, the Knesset.
The resolution was intended as a rebuke of Democrat Pramila Jayapal, an Indian-born American, who sparked an angry backlash from her own party over the weekend by calling Israel a "racist state."
She apologized under intense pressure from Democratic colleagues, saying she did not believe "the idea of Israel as a nation is racist."
Herzog, who spoke of living in New York in the 1970s, lauded his country's relationship with "our greatest partner and friend," voicing gratitude for US "commitment to Israel's security."
- Controversial reforms -
The address came with the Biden-Netanyahu relationship under strain about contentious plans to reform Israel's court system and expand Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territories.
Biden, who hosted Herzog Tuesday, urged Israel's government Wednesday not to "rush" the changes, which have prompted giant demonstrations.
"Finding consensus on controversial areas of policy means taking the time you need," Biden was quoted as saying in The New York Times.
Herzog -- who earned multiple standing ovations during his 45-minute address -- said the "painful, and deeply unnerving" demonstrations were the "clearest tribute to the fortitude of Israel's democracy."
"Although we are working through sore issues, just like you, I know our democracy is strong and resilient. Israel has democracy in its DNA," he told lawmakers.
He expressed his "deep yearning" for peace with the Palestinian people but called the celebration of terror attacks against Israelis a "moral disgrace."
He also urged the world to show a united front against Iranian aggression, calling Tehran's nuclear program the "greatest" foreign policy challenge for both nations.
He accused Iran of spreading "hatred, terror and suffering" in the Middle East and of "adding fuel to the disastrous fire and suffering in Ukraine" through the supply of drones to Russia.
"Backed by the free world, Israel and the United States must act forcefully together to prevent Iran's fundamental threat to international security," he said.
Invoking Abraham Lincoln's desire to see a homeland for Jews to live in peace, Herzog told Congress that Israel and the United States had "always stood for the same values."
"Our two nations are both diverse, life-affirming societies that stand for liberty, equality, and freedom," he said.
- Visa agreement -
During the visit, the two countries announced an agreement that allows Israeli citizens to travel visa-free to the United States for short visits, with "equal treatment" offered to American citizens entering Israel, including those living in the Palestinian territories.
"This is the first time Israel is willing to commit to these measures," a senior administration official said under condition of anonymity, cheering the move as a breakthrough on an issue that has stoked bilateral tensions.
Washington has for years refused Israel's ambitions to join the United States' Visa Waiver Program because of the restrictions imposed on Palestinians with US citizenship.
The United States will reassess whether to extend the provisional agreement on September 30, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
"This is an important milestone, which brings us closer to fully complying with the American government's requirements for the Visa Waiver Program nomination," Netanyahu's office said in a statement.
