For the first time ever, the US House speaker conducted an official visit to Samaria. Israel Hayom learned that Mike Johnson met an hour ago in the city of Ariel with the Yesha Council – the official leadership body of Israeli settlers in Judea and Samaria.
Johnson's visit to Ariel received approval from the White House and State Department and was kept secret due to security sensitivities.
The historic event was attended by all the heads of authorities in Judea and Samaria as well as US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. As revealed in Israel Hayom, Huckabee conducted his own historic visit upon arriving in the country to the Biblical Shiloh site, not far from Ariel.
Yesha Council Chairman Israel Ganz praised Johnson for his participation in the event. Samaria Regional Council Chairman Yossi Dagan presented him with a gift and Ariel Mayor Yair Chetboun thanked the American senior official for coming to the capital of Samaria.
Under the US constitution, the speaker of the House of Representatives is second in line for the presidency, right after the vice president. It should be noted that at the end of Donald Trump's first term, then-American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Samaria. Now, as mentioned, Johnson arrives, making him the most senior US official to visit the area.
According to Marc Zell, the Republican Party Chairman in Israel, Speaker Mike Johnson said that the mountains of Judea and Samaria are the rightful property of the Jewish people. According to Zell, "he criticized those erstwhile allies of Israel who are calling to recognize a Palestinian state. He closed with a statement that as the US begins to celebrate its 250th anniversary, the US should use the occasion to remind the American people of its Judeo-Christian foundations that were formed here in the Land of Israel.
Speaker Mike Johnson, now addressing the conference in Ariel, is the highest ranking U.S. federal official to visit Judea and Samaria. Amazing! pic.twitter.com/qNeu1yFwCI
— Marc Zell (@GOPIsrael) August 4, 2025
The settlement umbrella group Yesha Council, which worked behind the scenes to advance the visit in recent months, views Johnson's arrival as a step toward legitimizing Israeli settlement that has been controversial for many years. The council pushed for the Knesset's declarative decision two weeks ago to apply Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria, and the council believes this visit represents an American signal that the administration does not rule out the sovereignty move.
