.png)
By Ariel Roth
The opinions expressed in this article reflect the opinions of its author(s). They do not represent the views of the UCL International Relations Society, Circum Mundum, or its Editorial Team.
On Saturday morning (October 7, 2023) following a surprise attack by Hamas, an incursion of rockets hailed towards Israel leading to a surge of civilian fatalities, and many being taken hostage by Hamas. In response, Israel retaliated by ordering a total siege of Gaza, with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallent saying that Gaza would soon be without electricity, food, and fuel. Israel also issued an evacuation notice to Gaza residents to relocate to the south, fuelling further panic amid citizens struggling under the blockade.
Amid the horrors, major powers across the world have responded in support of Israel and condemnation of Hamas attacks, one being the US which has backed the formation of the state since World War II. On Friday afternoon (October 13 2023) following last weekend's attacks, US President Joe Biden spoke in Philadelphia with the families of Americans who remained unaccounted for in Israel and declared his support for Israel against Hamas. Amid Biden's condolences, he also addressed the humanitarian crisis in Gaza after Israel ordered a total siege until hostages were released. “We can't lose sight of the fact that the overwhelming majority of Palestinians had nothing to do with Hamas, ” Biden declared.
But in the midst of the Israel-Gaza frenzy the US is currently facing turmoil in Washington. For the first time in history, the House faced a situation like no other on October 3, 2023, when Rep. Kevin McCarthy (House speaker since January 2023) was ousted with a tally of 216-210 after a minority of eight Republicans voted to remove him. The majority of those eight Republicans came from the hard-right Freedom Caucus which ousted McCarthy; Rep. Andy Biggs claims McCarthy has “(g)one against many of the promises he made in January.” Yet the US continues to maintain its focus on the crisis despite having no Speaker in the House.
During a speech before recent attacks, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unsurprisingly called the US Israel’s greatest ally. Currently, the US holds the second largest Jewish population after Israel, which is no surprise considering the US was one of the first countries to acknowledge the state of Israel in 1948. But the unequivocal support the US has from Israel stems beyond its historical ties. According to Vox, the US has totalled $158 billion (not adjusted for inflation) since World War II, which is more money given than to any other nation. Additionally, US officials contended that their alliance with Israel holds strategic value as a stabilising force in the Middle East, preventing turmoil that may jeopardise US access to oil supply and being a top trading partner for the US.
Friday (October 13, 2023) marked the 10th day of paralysis for the House and Republican dysfunction in Washington is only surging. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House reign Affairs Committee, told reporters on Thursday (October 12 2023) “It’s a dangerous game that we’re playing.” Finding a successor for McCarthy is integral, after all the speaker is second in line to the White House, after the vice president. Reporter Kayla Epstein of the BBC says, “Depending on the partisan makeup of Congress, they can make or break a US president's agenda, stymie opposition, and spearhead their party's biggest legislative initiatives.” McCarthy claimed, “There is nothing the House can do until they elect a speaker, and I don’t know if that happens quickly.” However, this is not completely true as Joe Biden said in a speech on Tuesday (October 10, 2023) that he would request urgent approval from Congress for additional funding of Israel in the wake of the devastating attack by Hamas. In light of Washington's calamity, Rep. Patrick McHenry has been granted Speaker Pro Tempore (temporary speaker of the House), but McHenry's role is more or less just a decorative title (depending on how long McHenry stays as Pro Tempore), as members have been told that they are not able to introduce new bills until an official speaker takes charge of the gavel. A vote for a new Speaker was held on Wednesday with Steve Scalise being nominated, yet he fell below the 217 votes needed to be elected and the House remained leaderless during this crucial period. Fortunately, the majority of Congress has a partisan agreement in aiding Israel. However, according to the Center For Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), the US is revealing shortcomings in weaponry among the previous commitments they have made (Ukraine and Taiwan). This raises doubts as to how long the US can play God amongst its national calamity and with the current political forecast, Washington is unable to hastily mediate a plan to send military equipment to assist Israel against Hamas because emergency aid cannot be passed without a speaker.
Regardless of how Congress chooses to aid Israel, the US remains a powerhouse and a representative of the free world. When turmoil arises, its allies and enemies will observe how the US responds, therefore the absence of a Speaker is trivial for not only the lives of their foreign allies but for Americans themselves, as a continuous era of threats, violence, and death has circulated beyond the confines of the original populace. It is an uneasy situation for Americans who fear how long their country will be in a state of paralysis. Across the US and the world supporters of Israel and Palestine protest and pray, rallying in solidarity each with their own political bias and link. With each side tied to its own collective memory, it is impossible to eliminate the existence of the other, allowing greater mass division over unity amongst the biases of their own cultural and religious identity. Above all a mass of those protesters share an alike for peace but why must peace succumb at the cost of rage and blood? For what is most well-known history does not repeat its rhymes, and with the world watching the US’s every move it is in the US's best interest to ensure its allies are protected in the fatality of this continuous division.
References
McKernan, B. (2023, October 13). Palestinians flee northern Gaza before expected Israeli ground invasion. The Guardian. Retrieved October 15, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/13/palestinians-flee-northern-gaza-before-expected-israeli-ground-invasion
Cancian, M. F. (2023, October 12). Can the United States Equip Israel while Simultaneously Equipping Ukraine and Taiwan? CSIS. Retrieved October 15, 2023, from https://www.csis.org/analysis/can-united-states-equip-israel-while-simultaneously-equipping-ukraine-and-taiwan
Smith, D. (2023, October 14). 'A dangerous game': Republican chaos and indecision as crises shake the world. The Guardian. Retrieved October 15, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/14/house-speaker-republican-leadership-absent-us-aid-israel-gaza-ukraine
Narea, N. (2023, October 13). US-Israel support: How the US became Israel’s closest ally. Vox. Retrieved October 15, 2023, from https://www.vox.com/world-politics/23916266/us-israel-support-ally-gaza-war-aid
Greve, J. E. (2023, October 2). McCarthy worked with Democrats to pause the US shutdown. Now his job is at stake. The Guardian. Retrieved October 14, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/oct/01/kevin-mccarthy-us-government-shutdown-republican-speaker
Tens of thousands rally in Mideast, West to support Israel, Palestinians. (2023, October 14). Reuters. Retrieved October 14, 2023, from https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/supporters-palestinians-israel-protest-pray-war-intensifies-2023-10-13/
Wasson, E. (2023, October 9). Analysis | What Can the House Do Without a Speaker? Washington Post. Retrieved October 14, 2023, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/10/09/a-house-with-no-speaker-what-this-means-for-us/07345b34-66d4-11ee-9753-2b3742e96987_story.html
Wolf, Z. B. (2023, October 5). House speaker chaos: What is going on? Will it affect you? CNN. Retrieved October 14, 2023, from https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/05/politics/house-speaker-chaos-what-matters/index.html
Bruce, M. (2023, October 5). Who is interim House speaker Rep. Patrick McHenry and what can he do? ABC News. Retrieved October 14, 2023, from https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/interim-house-speaker-rep-patrick-mchenry/story?id=103727724
Debre, I., Lederer, E. M., & ShurAafa, W. (2023, October 14). Israel-Hamas war: Israel orders evacuation of 1 million in Gaza. AP News. Retrieved October 14, 2023, from https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-c8b4fc20e4fd2ef381d5edb7e9e8308c
Comments