(JNS) Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) met with Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Herzog on Thursday in Washington, D.C., just weeks before U.S. President Joe Biden is expected to arrive in the Jewish state in mid-July.

“I look forward to continuing our work together on shared interests and to further strengthen the relationship between the United States and Israel,” said Schumer in a statement. The meeting comes shortly after a group of more than 80 Republicans in Congress released a bicameral statement calling on the Biden administration to abandon its plans to establish the “U.S. Office of Palestinian Affairs” to replace the Palestinian Affairs Unit at the U.S. embassy office in Jerusalem.

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and reaffirmed American support for Israel in the wake of the dissolution of the 24th Knesset. “Secretary Blinken underscored our respect for democratic processes and reiterated our unwavering commitment to the strong U.S.-Israel strategic relationship and our mutual concerns about Iran’s malign influence in the region,” said U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price in a statement of the call.

Photo: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer with Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog in Washington, D.C., on June 23, 2022. Credit: Office of Sen. Chuck Schumer.