Leaders were quick to condemn the attacks against Israel but the legislation likely can’t move forward without a speaker.
Leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee introduced a bipartisan resolution Tuesday, with the backing of nearly 400 lawmakers, expressing support for Israel after a surprise attack over the weekend by Hamas.
“Now is the time to show the world the United States firmly stands with our friend and ally Israel in our condemnation of this heinous attack by Iran-backed terrorists,” Rep. Michael McCaul, the chairman of the committee, said in a statement, adding that he expects the resolution to be among the first orders of business once a new House speaker is elected.
Since House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster last week, the chamber has effectively been at a standstill, with a temporary leader in place with the primary function of facilitating the election of a new speaker. House Republicans are set to hold a candidate forum Tuesday evening before holding an internal speaker election and chamber-wide vote in the following days. But the conflict in Israel has added urgency to the election, with limited ability to show support or provide aid without a speaker.
Nevertheless, lawmakers were swift to condemn Hamas’ brutal attack over the weekend, while committing to bringing the resolution forward to formally condemn the actions and reiterate their support for Israel.
“Israel is responding to the Hamas terror organization’s unprecedented attack,” Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the foreign affairs committee said. “The bipartisan resolution will demonstrate this is one issue in which the U.S. House of Representatives is united, and I expect it to pass the House with broad bipartisan support.”
The resolution affirms that lawmakers back Israel and its right to defend itself, urges all countries to “unequivocally condemn Hamas’ brutal war against Israel,” and calls on Hamas to immediately end its attacks and return all hostages. It also urges enforcement of U.S. sanctions against Iran, while asserting that the U.S. “stands ready” to assist Israel with resupplying and other support.
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Though the legislation has widespread support, its speedy passage likely depends on the quick resolution of the speaker election. McCaul said over the weekend that the absence of a speaker “sends a terrible message” to U.S. adversaries, emphasizing that electing a new speaker this week is necessary so that lawmakers can pass legislation replenishing Israel’s rocket defense system, in addition to the resolution underscoring support for Israel.
“We have to move quickly on this,” McCaul told CNN. “We cannot paralyze democracy, especially when we have these hotspots all over the world.”