Washington – U.S. congressional leaders announced on Thursday that Israeli President Isaac Herzog will address a joint meeting of Congress on July 19, "to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel and to reaffirm his country's special relationship with the United States," according to the U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

"The world is a better place when America and Israel work together," said McCarthy, a Republican from California who is a staunch supporter of Israel.

McCarthy delivered a speech in the Israeli parliament last May, the first time in 25 years that the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives addressed the Knesset.

This visit comes against the backdrop of tense relations between the Biden administration and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is yet to receive an invitation to the White House.

President Joe Biden's team has recently condemned Israel's decision to approve over 5,000 new settlement units in the occupied West Bank, as well as the recent spate of attacks by settlers on Palestinians.