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More than 80 members of the House are visiting Israel this month as guests of the American Israel Education Foundation, a charity affiliated with the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee. It is the largest number of members of Congress ever to make the trip during a single recess, according to the organizers.
The numbers reflect both the size of the freshman Congressional class, which accounts for 47 of the visitors, and the enduring efforts of Israel to court its most friendly ally, the United States Congress.
Having roughly one-fifth of the House visiting the region is particularly striking when the relationship between President Obama and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is strained. An effort by Mr. Obama to make peace between the Israelis and Palestinians fell flat this spring. Now the Palestinians are weighing a request to the United Nations Security Council to support a bid for statehood, leaving Washington in the uncomfortable position of blocking such a unilateral move while supporting democracy movements in other Arab nations.
“I think that what you have going on is a real bipartisan support for Israel in the Congress,” said Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the most powerful Jewish member of Congress.
“The White House and president have not been as clear as where it stands and he stands on the relationship, and that has added interest on the part of the members,” Mr. Cantor said. “With Iran continuing to pursue nuclear capabilities, and with the upcoming vote in the U.N., which is a very destabilizing event, it is very important for us to be there and show what is at stake.”
The weeklong trips began earlier in the month with 26 Democratic members, who were accompanied by Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the minority whip, and are continuing over the next several days with 55 Republicans, who arrive in two delegations. (Mr. Cantor, the majority leader, will spend time with both.)
The trips’ schedules include visits to both Israel and the West Bank, as well as meetings with President Shimon Peres and Mr. Netanyahu in Jerusalem, and with the Palestinian Authority’s president, Mahmoud Abbas, in Ramallah. For many of the lawmakers, the trip is their first time in Israel.
“It’s my responsibility to be able to advocate on pro-Israel issues,” said Representative Michael Grimm of New York, a freshman who went with the first group of Republicans, in a telephone interview from the country. “Coming here and being able to feel it and touch it to fully understand how daily life is for an Israeli is important. You have to actually see it and realize it is such a profound observation that everything is so close; everything is almost on top of each other.”
The trips have attracted criticism from a variety of groups, including supporters of the Palestinians and critics of American foreign aid, especially that for Israel. But in a rare show of bipartisanship, both Republicans and Democrats defended the trip.
“No one fails to go to Israel without a better understanding of the birthplace of the three major religions,” said Mr. Hoyer, who has been to the country 12 times, adding that he agreed with Mr. Cantor’s reasons for visiting the nation. “Every time you go to Israel there are new circumstances and new challenges.”
Mr. Hoyer rejected the suggestion of critics that members ought to be attending only to domestic affairs right now.
“The Congress and its members can do multiple things at the same time,” Mr. Hoyer said. “Clearly the economic concerns of our country are great. But clearly the concerns in the Middle East obviously do have an impact on our economy given the energy supply that emanates from the Middle East and given the concerns we have with stabilizing the Middle East.”
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