WASHINGTON – Rep. Michael Baumgartner returned home to Spokane on Monday from a weeklong visit to Israel, his fifth trip to the country and his first as a member of Congress.

The trip included about 30 freshman members of Congress along with party leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. It was organized by the American Israel Educational Foundation, the charitable arm of the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, Baumgartner said in an interview on Tuesday.

The trip came as the Israeli government faces growing international condemnation for the impact of its war on civilians in Gaza, but the Spokane Republican defended Israel’s actions and said the focus should instead be on Hamas, which launched terror attacks into Israel that prompted nearly two years of war.

“You have to root

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