The federal government has been paralyzed.
The Middle East teeters on the edge of a major conflict with unknown limits and duration.
Both situations call for statecraft and finding a common ground. Without that, both situations yield destructive results.
The U.S. problem arises in the House of Representatives. The Republicans hold a narrow majority and can lead only if they are unified. Their lack of unity is what has created the crisis.
A small group of GOP House members believe that, because their votes are critical to their party’s control, they can insist that all Republicans should give in to their views. They toppled House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, because he was willing to compromise with a unified Democratic minority.
Their success continued to encourage them to insist on control by the party’s right wing, followers of former president Trump. For a while, other GOP members would reject their push for control. The result was a lengthy period with no speaker and no compromise. That causes a non- functioning government, because the House simply could not act.
The unyielding stance of the Trump loyalists on the right is merely for show. If they prevailed and fellow Republicans went along with them on urgently needed legislation, a more moderate Senate under Democratic leadership and a Democratic president would not accept their proposals. The government would be blocked, pretty much where it is now without a speaker.
Because either a Trumpian blockade, now under way, or a House under right-wing domination yields the same non-functioning government, there is only one way out. There must be a compromise between the Democrats and as many Republicans as are willing to risk their seats to protect the national interest.
The Democrats signaled they were ready for such a compromise, and their demands seemed relatively limited. They wanted the House to be able to vote on necessary legislation on aid to Ukraine and Israel and on the budget.
The Democrats want a more open process, but do not insist on Republicans voting in line with them. Compromise would produce results. Yet the GOP right sees any concession as allowing
the Democrats to control the House. They view the Democrats with so much hostility that any compromise is too much. Inevitably, they must lose. The questions are how and when.
In the end, the GOP conservatives won and the GOP elected a speaker. Now we shall see if the House works better.
While the American government was blocked, the situation between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is explosive. That crisis intersects with the fumbling failure of the U.S. government to function even in a situation where there is broad bipartisan agreement.
The crisis arose at this time because Hamas launched an incredible terrorist attack on Israel. It killed wantonly and took hostages. Its attack was obviously well planned and had no clear intent except to undermine Israel, a country it would abolish.
Understandably, Israel was embarrassed by the failure of its intelligence to foresee the Hamas attack and has responded with great force. It cannot accept the risk of an event like this happening again.
Israel has gone beyond a military response, subjecting more than two million residents of Gaza to severe punishment to pay for the actions of the militants that control the Gaza Strip. Israel has cut off supplies of food, medicine, water and fuel. Its philosophy appears to be that Hamas has shown no mercy, so Israel won’t.
The difference between Israel and Hamas is that Israel is an established member of the world community and Hamas is a gang of terrorists. The Hamas attack and Israeli anti-civilian tactics bring them both to the level of Hamas. The Middle East has fallen into the Middle Ages.
While Israel’s fury is understandable, its role as nation should drive it to a higher standard. Instead of negotiating with the U.S. and Saudi Arabia over the heads of the Palestinians, it should pursue a solution with all parties. A permanent impasse, coupled with a continual effort to weaken the Palestinians, has not proved workable. It produces terrorism and conflict, not peace.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres has called for a ceasefire, not because he favors Hamas but because he abhors the waste of human life. But Security Council resolutions for a pause or a ceasefire were both vetoed. The conflict continues unabated, because the world’s premier peace organization cannot find a compromise.
No political process can function over the long haul unless it includes compromise, even between those holding the strongest sentiments. This is the responsibility of the people selected to govern. Using force, whether by a critical House cabal or Middle East actors imposing their will without regard for the cost, does not produce the needed workable and stable result.
Gordon L. Weil formerly wrote for the Washington Post and other newspapers, served on the U.S. Senate and EU staffs, headed Maine state agencies and was a Harpswell selectman.
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