EDITORIAL: Senate delegation reassures Israel; where’s the House?

As House Republicans fiddle while the world burns, some grown-ups in the Senate have thankfully moved to fill the leadership void.

Over the weekend, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., led a bipartisan group of senators to Israel to show support for the nation in the wake of the brutal Hamas terror attack. The delegation also included Democrats Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Mark Kelly of Arizona, with Republicans Mitt Romney of Utah and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana.

The move sends a clear message that the United States stands with its staunch ally in the Middle East.

“This has deep resonance to people,” Sen. Schumer said. “Because we have not seen anything as vicious and nasty as this since the Nazis.” He added that the visit will also boost Israeli morale.

The agenda included discussions of how the United States can provide aid to Israel “on all fronts,” a spokesperson for the majority leader noted.

That assistance must also include a commitment to assuring Israel that the United States won’t exert covert pressure on the nation to de-escalate its response or scale back what appears to be a certain invasion of Gaza. That would be a huge mistake and only reward Hamas’ actions. Israel has every right to defend itself from those who have made clear they want no peace and will continue to wage war to eradicate the Jewish state.

The Hamas attack was calculated to include the death of civilian men, women and children. By contrast, Israel has made efforts to avoid such indiscriminate destruction. The country has dropped leaflets warning 1.1 million Gazans to evacuate and distance themselves “from Hamas terrorists who are using you as human shields.”

Sen. Schumer said he will advise the Biden administration upon his return on a legislative package involving aid for both Israel and Ukraine. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has also said that he wants any financial assistance for the two nations tied together, ABC News reported.

Which makes it even more urgent that holdout House Republicans end their circular firing squad and compromise on a candidate for speaker. Until that happens, any such assistance will remain stalled in the lower chamber, a victim of petty grievances and foolish intransigence. The gravity of the situation in the Middle East requires courageous statesmanship, not self-interested buffoonery.