Israel-Hamas conflict fuels race for US House speakership

The race for US House Speaker is becoming more urgent amid escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

US President Joe Biden has called for swift action to support ally Israel, but the US Congress is temporarily paralyzed as the House of Representatives is in a "headless snake" situation.

In practical terms, the US House of Representatives needs to elect a leader before it can approve any new financial or military aid to Israel.

On the political front, the lack of a head of the US House of Representatives sends a message that Washington is ineffective.

The world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is deployed to Israel amid escalating conflict in the Gaza Strip, October 2023. Photo: US Navy/Miami Herald

“This is exactly what people hate about Washington,” former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan told Bloomberg on Oct. 10.

Mr. Hogan, a moderate Republican who has “joked” about running for president as an independent, called Israel “our greatest ally.” “This is not the time for politics,” Mr. Hogan told Bloomberg.

Mr. Hogan called the removal of Mr. Kevin McCarthy from the position of Speaker of the US House of Representatives a “train wreck” that caused the House ship to “lose its rudder.”

The leadership vacuum has raised speculation about Mr McCarthy's possible return so that the US Congress can pass legislation to address the crisis caused by the latest wave of clashes between Israel and Hamas militants.

Mr McCarthy – who became the first speaker in US House history to be ousted mid-term – appeared to leave open the possibility of a return.

But he has since ruled out the idea of ​​regaining power, according to the politics-focused website Punchbowl News, which reported on October 10 that Mr McCarthy had instructed lawmakers not to nominate him.

House Republicans met behind closed doors again on the evening of October 10 to hear from Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan – the only two official candidates for the vacant seat.

If they reach a consensus, an internal vote to choose a potential candidate is expected to take place on October 11. But it has been so long since they found consensus that it would not be surprising if the vote to elect a new House speaker is delayed further, Bloomberg said.

This time the Republicans have chosen to hold the nominating contest behind closed doors to avoid the public spectacle of the multiple rounds of voting that Mr McCarthy endured to win the powerful gavel in January.

Majority Leader Steve Scalise (left) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan on Capitol Hill, June 2022. Photo: NY Times

If things don’t go as smoothly as expected, some House Republicans are quietly discussing a temporary way to empower Speaker pro tempore Patrick McHenry to pass aid to Israel. Democrats are likely to go along with that idea, given the near-unanimous bipartisan support for Israel in the United States.

In another development, two Republicans and two Democrats introduced a bill that would provide $2 billion to bolster Israel's Iron Dome defense system, without which they believe many civilians would be injured or killed.

According to Al Jazeera, Israeli forces continued to attack the Gaza Strip for the fifth consecutive day, killing at least 950 people in this coastal strip, while the death toll in Israel has reached 1,200 .

Minh Duc (According to Bloomberg, AFP/Malay Mail)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/xung-dot-israel-hamas-thuc-day-cuoc-dua-gianh-chuc-chu-tich-ha-vien-my-a630591.html