The Republican Party has retaken control of the House of Representatives, according to projections by the Associated Press showing a very narrow 218-211 lead over the Democratic Party.
Thus far, the GOP has the majority in the House, albeit with some races still not called since Election Day.
The Democratic party narrowly retained its control over the Senate.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, will take the gavel as the new Speaker of the House in January 2023 when the new Congress is sworn in.
The Speaker stands as the second in line to the US presidency, after the vice president. Democrats won control of the House in the 2018 midterms, while then-President Trump was in office and preparing to roll out his “Peace to Prosperity” plan for peace in the Middle East – and particularly between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The plan, rolled out in its entirety in January 2020, was rejected before its publication by the Palestinian Authority, sight unseen. It has also been rejected by the Democratic Party, which continues to insist that Israel return to indefensible borders to make peace with the Palestinian Authority despite its strong financial support for terrorist attacks on the Jewish State.
McCarthy went on record during a visit in 2019 saying he believes it’s not his job to “pick a solution for the conflict” between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
“The world is constantly changing. Look at Lebanon. Look at Syria. Things are always in flux in these areas, so how can we choose a solution now without knowing what’s going to happen in a few years?” he said, referring to the so-called “two state solution.”
But the incoming Speaker’s position is diametrically opposed to that of Democratic President Joe Biden, who has consistently pressured Israel to make concessions in hopes of enticing the Palestinian Authority back to the negotiating table. Biden told the UN General Assembly this past September that his administration believes the “two state solution” is still “the best way to ensure Israel’s security and prosperity. . . and give the Palestinians a state to which they are entitled.”
McCarthy went on record this year affirming that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel “and it always will be.” He led a delegation of dozens of House Republicans in a visit to Israel this past February to “reaffirm America’s unwavering support for Israel” and to quietly discuss Jerusalem’s position on Russia’s war against Ukraine with Israeli officials.
Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, and it always will be.
I’m here this week, leading dozens of House Republicans on a trip to reaffirm America’s unwavering support for Israel. ???? pic.twitter.com/DNkrKwuV2X
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) February 21, 2022
Eighteen months ago, McCarthy likewise expressed his support for Israel during its mini war in May 2021 against Gaza’s Hamas terrorist organization. “Israel has every right to defend itself against violence and the barrage of rockets from Hamas,” he wrote in a tweet at the time.
Israel has every right to defend itself against violence and the barrage of rockets from Hamas.
The United States unequivocally stands with our ally Israel and the Jewish people.
— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) May 10, 2021
Nevertheless, despite his strong support for the Jewish State McCarthy was among a wide range of US legislators, among them GOP stalwarts Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) who criticized Israel for its neutral stance on Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Israeli officials made a concerted effort in closed-door talks held in Jerusalem this past March to explain the reasons behind its stance on Ukraine to the American lawmakers.
This week Trump announced he intends to run for re-election to the presidency. His daughter Ivanka was not present for the announcement, and son-in-law and senior White House adviser Jared Kushner was not on the stage for the big moment, but instead stood in the audience together with Trump’s younger son Eric, his wife Melania and other family members. The former president’s oldest son, Donald Jr., was not present due to a bad weather flight cancellation that left him stranded thousands of miles away from the event.
The midterm results ultimately mean the US government is likely to be divided on most issues and will remain that way until the next Election Day two years from now, when the White House will also be up for grabs. Until that point, it is unlikely that any significant legislation will get passed.
