Speaker of the House Mike Johnson made a private trip to settlements in the West Bank as Israeli leaders push for a full annexation of the Palestinian territory. John spoke on Monday at the Ariel Municipality,

House Speaker Mike Johnson visited a settlement in the occupied West Bank on Monday as part of a private visit to Israel organized by a pro-Israel advocacy group, according to two Israeli officials. Why it matters: While many Republican Congress members have visited West Bank settlements,

Johnson becomes the highest-ranking US official to visit an illegal settlement in the occupied Palestinian territory.