UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.S. vetoed a U.N. resolution Wednesday to condemn all violence against civilians in the Israel-Hamas war and to urge humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, saying it was too early to craft an appropriate Security Council response to the crisis.

U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the council needs to allow current diplomatic efforts, including by President Joe Biden, to unfold and to find out more facts on the ground first. She also criticized the measure for failing to underline Israel’s right to self-defense.

The resolution sponsored by Brazil had wide support and would have condemned all violence against civilians, including “the heinous terrorists attacks by Hamas” against Israel. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 votes in favor and the U.S. against, with Russia and Britain abstaining.

Thomas-Greenfield said that Biden was in the region engaging in diplomacy hoping to protect civilians, secure the release of hostage and prevent the conflict from spreading. “We need to let that diplomacy play out,” she said.

She said the Security Council must speak out, but should be “informed by facts on the ground and support direct diplomacy efforts that can save lives -- the council needs to get this right.”

The American ambassador criticized the resolution for not saying anything about Israel’s right to self-defense following Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attacks that killed more than 1,400 people in Israel. Since then, the Gaza Health Ministry says nearly 3,500 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 12,000 wounded.

Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward also criticized the resolution’s failure to mention Israel’s right to self-defense.

The voting and debate followed Tuesday’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-biden-rafah-e062825a375d9eb62e95509cab95b80c">huge explosion and fire at a Gaza City hospital</a>&nbsp;packed with patients, relatives and Palestinians seeking shelter, in which the Hamas-run health ministry said 500 people died. Hamas said it was from an Israeli airstrike, while Israel blamed a misfired rocket by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad. Islamic Jihad denied any involvement.

Council members rejected two proposed Russian amendments to the resolution, which failed to get the minimum nine “yes” votes. One called for a “humanitarian cease-fire” and the other would condemn indiscriminate attacks on civilians and “civilian objects” in Gaza, which include hospitals and schools.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the Brazil resolution, which called for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver aid, wouldn’t have helped to avoid Tuesday’s explosion at the Gaza hospital. “It is only a cease-fire that will help to do this," he said.

He told council members who abstained or opposed the Russian amendments – the U.S. voted against both – that they will have to “bear responsibility” for what happens now to people in their own countries, the region, “and the people who are living under this deadly threat.”

Nebenzia accused the United States of “hypocrisy” and “double standards,” saying the Americans didn’t want a solution in the Security Council.

Brazil’s U.N. Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, the current council president, called the defeated resolution “robust and balanced.” stressing that it also called for the immediate release of all hostages, protection of civilians in Gaza from forced relocation, and “the ethical necessity” to provide them with food, fuel, water and medicine.

“Sadly, very sadly, the council was yet again unable to adopt a resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he said. “Council paralysis in the face of a humanitarian catastrophe is not in the interest of the international community.”

France, China, the United Arab Emirates, the Arab representative on the Security Council, and many other council members also expressed regret and disappointment at the U.S. veto.

The divided Security Council has been even more polarized since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and the votes on the Brazil resolution reflected the divisions.

Immediately after Tuesday's votes and speeches, the council started an emergency meeting to discuss the explosion at the Gaza hospital. Russia, the United Arab Emirates and China called for the emergency session.

The council's actions took place amid frantic diplomatic efforts to prevent the Israeli-Hamas conflict from spreading, including Biden’s lightning trip to Israel where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths noted in a video briefing from Doha, Quatar, that Tuesday's massive explosion deprived Gaza of a hospital that cared for more than 45,000 patients a year.

After the hospital blast, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas backed out of a meeting with Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and King Abdullah II of Jordan, leading the Jordanians to cancel the meeting,

The 22-member Arab Group at the United Nations expressed “outrage” at the hospital deaths and called for an immediate cease-fire to avoid further Palestinian casualties and the opening of a corridor to safely deliver aid to millions in Gaza.

Egypt’s U.N. ambassador, Osama Mahmoud, told reporters that a summit will take place Saturday in Cairo as scheduled with regional leaders and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The five permanent Security Council nations are also invited, he said.

Mahmoud said the summit will address the humanitarian crisis sparked by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, how to achieve a cease-fire, and whether “any serious attempt to have a political horizon” exists to tackle the issues blocking an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.

U.N. Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland told the emergency council meeting, “I fear that we are at the brink of a deep and dangerous abyss that could change the trajectory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, if not of the Middle East as a whole.”

After a century of conflict and half a century of Israeli occupation, he said the international community has “failed collectively” to help Israel and the Palestinians reach a political settlement. And he warned that events following the Hamas attacks “have served to re-ignite grievances and re-animate alliances across the region.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697659524198.png" alt="-U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield" />
 <figcaption>-U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield</figcaption>
 </figure>UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.S. vetoed a U.N. resolution Wednesday to condemn all violence against civilians in the Israel-Hamas war and to urge humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza, saying it was too early to craft an appropriate Security Council response to the crisis.U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the council needs to allow current diplomatic efforts, including by President Joe Biden, to unfold and to find out more facts on the ground first. She also criticized the measure for failing to underline Israel’s right to self-defense.The resolution sponsored by Brazil had wide support and would have condemned all violence against civilians, including “the heinous terrorists attacks by Hamas” against Israel. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 votes in favor and the U.S. against, with Russia and Britain abstaining.Thomas-Greenfield said that Biden was in the region engaging in diplomacy hoping to protect civilians, secure the release of hostage and prevent the conflict from spreading. “We need to let that diplomacy play out,” she said.She said the Security Council must speak out, but should be “informed by facts on the ground and support direct diplomacy efforts that can save lives -- the council needs to get this right.”The American ambassador criticized the resolution for not saying anything about Israel’s right to self-defense following Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attacks that killed more than 1,400 people in Israel. Since then, the Gaza Health Ministry says nearly 3,500 people have been killed in Gaza and more than 12,000 wounded.Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward also criticized the resolution’s failure to mention Israel’s right to self-defense.The voting and debate followed Tuesday’s&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-biden-rafah-e062825a375d9eb62e95509cab95b80c">huge explosion and fire at a Gaza City hospital</a>&nbsp;packed with patients, relatives and Palestinians seeking shelter, in which the Hamas-run health ministry said 500 people died. Hamas said it was from an Israeli airstrike, while Israel blamed a misfired rocket by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad. Islamic Jihad denied any involvement.Council members rejected two proposed Russian amendments to the resolution, which failed to get the minimum nine “yes” votes. One called for a “humanitarian cease-fire” and the other would condemn indiscriminate attacks on civilians and “civilian objects” in Gaza, which include hospitals and schools.Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the Brazil resolution, which called for “humanitarian pauses” to deliver aid, wouldn’t have helped to avoid Tuesday’s explosion at the Gaza hospital. “It is only a cease-fire that will help to do this," he said.He told council members who abstained or opposed the Russian amendments – the U.S. voted against both – that they will have to “bear responsibility” for what happens now to people in their own countries, the region, “and the people who are living under this deadly threat.”Nebenzia accused the United States of “hypocrisy” and “double standards,” saying the Americans didn’t want a solution in the Security Council.Brazil’s U.N. Ambassador Sérgio França Danese, the current council president, called the defeated resolution “robust and balanced.” stressing that it also called for the immediate release of all hostages, protection of civilians in Gaza from forced relocation, and “the ethical necessity” to provide them with food, fuel, water and medicine.“Sadly, very sadly, the council was yet again unable to adopt a resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” he said. “Council paralysis in the face of a humanitarian catastrophe is not in the interest of the international community.”France, China, the United Arab Emirates, the Arab representative on the Security Council, and many other council members also expressed regret and disappointment at the U.S. veto.The divided Security Council has been even more polarized since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and the votes on the Brazil resolution reflected the divisions.Immediately after Tuesday's votes and speeches, the council started an emergency meeting to discuss the explosion at the Gaza hospital. Russia, the United Arab Emirates and China called for the emergency session.The council's actions took place amid frantic diplomatic efforts to prevent the Israeli-Hamas conflict from spreading, including Biden’s lightning trip to Israel where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths noted in a video briefing from Doha, Quatar, that Tuesday's massive explosion deprived Gaza of a hospital that cared for more than 45,000 patients a year.After the hospital blast, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas backed out of a meeting with Biden, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and King Abdullah II of Jordan, leading the Jordanians to cancel the meeting,The 22-member Arab Group at the United Nations expressed “outrage” at the hospital deaths and called for an immediate cease-fire to avoid further Palestinian casualties and the opening of a corridor to safely deliver aid to millions in Gaza.Egypt’s U.N. ambassador, Osama Mahmoud, told reporters that a summit will take place Saturday in Cairo as scheduled with regional leaders and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. The five permanent Security Council nations are also invited, he said.Mahmoud said the summit will address the humanitarian crisis sparked by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, how to achieve a cease-fire, and whether “any serious attempt to have a political horizon” exists to tackle the issues blocking an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.U.N. Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland told the emergency council meeting, “I fear that we are at the brink of a deep and dangerous abyss that could change the trajectory of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, if not of the Middle East as a whole.”After a century of conflict and half a century of Israeli occupation, he said the international community has “failed collectively” to help Israel and the Palestinians reach a political settlement. And he warned that events following the Hamas attacks “have served to re-ignite grievances and re-animate alliances across the region.”

US vetoes UN resolution condemning violence against civilians in Israel

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Natalee Holloway was beaten to death on a beach in Aruba and her body pushed out to sea after refusing the advances of the chief suspect in the 2005 killing, who admitted to the murder before pleading guilty Wednesday to extorting money from the missing teen’s mother.

Although Joran van der Sloot isn’t charged in Holloway’s death, his confession may finally resolve a case that has captivated the public’s attention for nearly two decades, spawning extensive news coverage, books, movies and podcasts.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s over,” Beth Holloway, Natalee's mother, told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Alabama. “Joran van der Sloot is no longer the suspect in my daughter’s murder. He is a killer.”

Natalee Holloway went missing during a high school graduation trip with classmates. She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/timeline-peru-sloot-natalee-holloway-extradition-165b7745e8210488316da1be6d30d855">was last seen</a>&nbsp;on May 30, 2005, leaving a bar with van der Sloot, a Dutch citizen and student at an international school on the Caribbean island where he grew up. He was questioned in the disappearance but never prosecuted. A judge declared Holloway dead, but her body was never found.

Van der Sloot, now 36, pleaded guilty to the extortion and fraud charges in exchange for a 20-year sentence. That prison term will run concurrently with a 28-year sentence he's serving in Peru for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-crime-peru-alabama-birmingham-b61a4dfc829e429a942854d33b86cde5">killing Stephany Flores</a>&nbsp;in 2010.

U.S. Judge Anna Manasco said the details of his confession factored into her sentencing decision.

“You have brutally murdered — in separate instances years apart — two young women who refused your sexual advances,” she said.

Shackled and wearing an orange jail uniform, van der Sloot told the crowded courtroom he hoped the confession provides closure.

“I would like the chance to apologize to the Holloway family, my own family,” he said, later adding, “I am no longer the person I was back then.”

The judge said the plea deal required van der Sloot to provide all the information he knew about Natalie Holloway’s disappearance, allow her parents to hear in “real time” his discussion with law enforcement, and take a polygraph test.

After the hearing, Beth Holloway told reporters she was “absolutely confident” that they finally got the truth from van der Sloot after years of lies.

Court documents offer a transcript of his confession.

In an interview conducted by his attorney, he says he and Holloway were lying on the beach kissing. She started to resist, but he kept touching her, so she kneed him between the legs. He stood up and kicked her “extremely hard” in the face while she was still lying down.

At that point, he said, she was “unconscious, possibly even uh, even dead, but definitely unconscious.” He said he picked up a nearby cinderblock and brought it down on her face.

Frightened and unsure what to do, he said he dragged her body until he was knee-deep in the waves, then pushed her out to sea.

The Holloway family has long sought answers about the disappearance, and van der Sloot has given different accounts over the years, at one point saying Holloway was buried in gravel under the foundation of a house but later admitting that was untrue.

Five years after the killing, an FBI sting recorded the extortion attempt in which van der Sloot asked for $250,000 from Beth Holloway to reveal the location of her daughter’s remains. He agreed to accept $25,000 to disclose the location, and asked for the other $225,000 once the remains were recovered.

Van der Sloot chose “greed over Beth Holloway’s grief,” prosecutor Lloyd Peeples told the judge Wednesday.

Van der Sloot moved from Aruba to Peru before he could be arrested in the extortion case. The government of Peru agreed to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/natalee-holloway-van-der-sloot-arraignment-c69b0d1606980df065b954e94da9ac01">temporarily extradite</a>&nbsp;him to face trial on the extortion charge, and he will return to Peruvian custody after his case is concluded.

While giving her impact statement Wednesday, Beth Holloway turned to stare directly at her daughter's killer, sitting just a few feet away in court.

“You look like hell, Joran,” she said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697654645147.png" alt="FBI image" />
 <figcaption>FBI image</figcaption>
 </figure>BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Natalee Holloway was beaten to death on a beach in Aruba and her body pushed out to sea after refusing the advances of the chief suspect in the 2005 killing, who admitted to the murder before pleading guilty Wednesday to extorting money from the missing teen’s mother.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697655838625.png" alt="Joran van der Sloot-Shelby Co. Alabama Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Joran van der Sloot-Shelby Co. Alabama Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>Although Joran van der Sloot isn’t charged in Holloway’s death, his confession may finally resolve a case that has captivated the public’s attention for nearly two decades, spawning extensive news coverage, books, movies and podcasts.“As far as I’m concerned, it’s over,” Beth Holloway, Natalee's mother, told reporters outside the federal courthouse in Alabama. “Joran van der Sloot is no longer the suspect in my daughter’s murder. He is a killer.”Natalee Holloway went missing during a high school graduation trip with classmates. She&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/timeline-peru-sloot-natalee-holloway-extradition-165b7745e8210488316da1be6d30d855">was last seen</a>&nbsp;on May 30, 2005, leaving a bar with van der Sloot, a Dutch citizen and student at an international school on the Caribbean island where he grew up. He was questioned in the disappearance but never prosecuted. A judge declared Holloway dead, but her body was never found.Van der Sloot, now 36, pleaded guilty to the extortion and fraud charges in exchange for a 20-year sentence. That prison term will run concurrently with a 28-year sentence he's serving in Peru for&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-crime-peru-alabama-birmingham-b61a4dfc829e429a942854d33b86cde5">killing Stephany Flores</a>&nbsp;in 2010.U.S. Judge Anna Manasco said the details of his confession factored into her sentencing decision.“You have brutally murdered — in separate instances years apart — two young women who refused your sexual advances,” she said.Shackled and wearing an orange jail uniform, van der Sloot told the crowded courtroom he hoped the confession provides closure.“I would like the chance to apologize to the Holloway family, my own family,” he said, later adding, “I am no longer the person I was back then.”The judge said the plea deal required van der Sloot to provide all the information he knew about Natalie Holloway’s disappearance, allow her parents to hear in “real time” his discussion with law enforcement, and take a polygraph test.After the hearing, Beth Holloway told reporters she was “absolutely confident” that they finally got the truth from van der Sloot after years of lies.Court documents offer a transcript of his confession.In an interview conducted by his attorney, he says he and Holloway were lying on the beach kissing. She started to resist, but he kept touching her, so she kneed him between the legs. He stood up and kicked her “extremely hard” in the face while she was still lying down.At that point, he said, she was “unconscious, possibly even uh, even dead, but definitely unconscious.” He said he picked up a nearby cinderblock and brought it down on her face.Frightened and unsure what to do, he said he dragged her body until he was knee-deep in the waves, then pushed her out to sea.The Holloway family has long sought answers about the disappearance, and van der Sloot has given different accounts over the years, at one point saying Holloway was buried in gravel under the foundation of a house but later admitting that was untrue.Five years after the killing, an FBI sting recorded the extortion attempt in which van der Sloot asked for $250,000 from Beth Holloway to reveal the location of her daughter’s remains. He agreed to accept $25,000 to disclose the location, and asked for the other $225,000 once the remains were recovered.Van der Sloot chose “greed over Beth Holloway’s grief,” prosecutor Lloyd Peeples told the judge Wednesday.Van der Sloot moved from Aruba to Peru before he could be arrested in the extortion case. The government of Peru agreed to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/natalee-holloway-van-der-sloot-arraignment-c69b0d1606980df065b954e94da9ac01">temporarily extradite</a>&nbsp;him to face trial on the extortion charge, and he will return to Peruvian custody after his case is concluded.While giving her impact statement Wednesday, Beth Holloway turned to stare directly at her daughter's killer, sitting just a few feet away in court.“You look like hell, Joran,” she said.

After 18-years suspect admits he killed Natalee Holloway on Aruba 

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jim-jordan-house-speaker-republicans-0f759a46f63aa9daf9e6939e45799329">Jim Jordan</a>&nbsp;failed again Wednesday on a crucial second ballot to become House speaker, the hard-fighting ally of Donald Trump losing even more GOP colleagues who refused to give him the the gavel.

Next steps were highly uncertain as a bipartisan group of lawmakers floated an extraordinary plan — to give the interim speaker-pro-tempore, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., more power to reopen the House and temporarily conduct routine business.

What was clear was that Jordan's path to become House speaker was almost certainly lost. He was opposed by two more than the 20 Republican detractors he lost in first round voting the day before.

The House gaveled in with angry, frustrated GOP lawmakers looking at other options. And as the rollcall was underway, a few new detractors emerged to oppose Jordan who did not seem to be picking up new votes beyond one lawmaker who was absent the day before.

Ahead of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-vote-guide-jordan-410d2f46378a7ab2fee9d6534fd2ef76">morning vote</a>, Jordan made an unexpected plea for party unity, the combative Judiciary Committee chairman telling his colleagues on social media, “We must stop attacking each other and come together.”

A surprisingly large and politically diverse group of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jim-jordan-house-speaker-mccarthy-trump-f2b2bf9dc834742bde93d5fc918d9940">20 Republicans had rejected Jordan's nomination</a>&nbsp;the day before, many resenting the hardball tactics seeking to enforce support, and viewing the Ohio congressman as too extreme for the powerful position of House speaker, second in line to the presidency.

The House has hit a standstill, stuck while Jordan worked to shore up backing from Republican colleagues for the job to replace the ousted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">Kevin McCarthy</a>. Republicans are exhausted by the infighting since McCarthy's sudden removal by hard-liners, who are now within reach of a central seat of U.S. power.

The vote for House speaker, once a formality in Congress, has devolved into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/speaker-jordan-scalise-mccarthy-election-votes-explainer-db85c1d80dcc36f296245851ad1278ab">another bitter showdown for the gavel</a>.

With Republicans in majority control 221-212, Jordan must pick up most of his GOP foes to win. Tuesday's tally, with 200 Republicans voting for Jordan and 212 for the Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, left no candidate with a clear majority, as the 20 Republicans voted for someone else. .

In nominating Jordan, veteran Republican Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma said it was time to end the upheaval that he had warned against with McCarthy’s sudden ouster.

“We have a chance today to end that chaos, end that uncertainty,” Cole said.

He said that Jordan was “not a shrinking violet” but someone who could lead the House.

Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar noted that Jeffries continues to win more votes and is the best choice to move the country forward.

“The country cannot afford more delays and more chaos,” Aguilar said.

Bipartisan groups of lawmakers have been floating ways to operate the House by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-powers-mchenry-875bebd218096a5252840cd8f52cc137">giving greater power</a>&nbsp;to McHenry or another temporary speaker. The House had never ousted its speaker before McCarthy.

The novel concept of boosting the interim speaker's role was gaining favor with a pair of surprising high-profile Republicans: Former GOP speakers Newt Gingrich and John Boehner.

Gingrich said while he likes Jordan, he has “no faith” the nominee can get much beyond the 200 votes he won in the first vote.

“We can’t sit around and suck our thumbs and hope the world will wait until the House Republicans get their act together,” Gingrich told Fox News' Sean Hannity on his show.

Boehner reposted Gingrich's views saying, “I agree,” on social media.

The two men have deep experience with the subject. Both were chased to early retirement by threats of ouster from right-flank insurgents&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kevin-mccarthy-republican-lawmakers-house-opponents-33c7d984964916f29d548b5b1dfe508b">like those who toppled McCarthy</a>.

“The Republicans are unable to function right now,” said Jeffries. He said talks would “accelerate” between Democrats and Republicans on alternative plans.

“Jim Jordan will be a great speaker,” Trump had said Tuesday said outside a courthouse in Manhattan, where he is facing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fraud-trial-net-worth-new-york-067501b1d742d4dccba2521ac3262fdb">business fraud charges</a>. "I think he’s going to have the votes soon, if not today, over the next day or two."

Flexing their independence, the holdouts are a mix of pragmatists — ranging from seasoned legislators and committee chairs worried about governing, to newer lawmakers from districts where voters back home prefer President Joe Biden to Trump.

Some Republicans resent being pressured by Jordan’s allies and say they are being threatened with primary opponents if they don’t support him as speaker. Others are simply upset at the way the whole process has dragged out.

One holdout, Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, said Tuesday that Jordan’s role in the runup to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">the Jan. 6, 2021, attack</a>&nbsp;on the Capitol and his refusal to admit that Biden, a Democrat, won the 2020 election remained an issue.

Jordan has been a top Trump ally, particularly during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the Jan. 6 Capitol attack</a>&nbsp;by the former president’s backers who were trying to overturn the 2020 election he lost to Biden. Days later, Trump awarded Jordan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-jim-jordan-impeachments-capitol-siege-eeadab127460dd5170e79608f654aca6">a Medal of Freedom</a>.

The political climb has been steep for Jordan, the combative Judiciary Committee chairman and a founding member of the right-flank Freedom Caucus. He is known more as a chaos agent than a skilled legislator, raising questions about how he would lead. Congress faces daunting challenges, risking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-congress-republicans-732baaa19c91f981e492fd0e6a76aba8">a federal shutdown</a>&nbsp;at home if it fails to fund the government and fielding Biden's requests for aid to help&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/a">Israel</a>&nbsp;in the wars abroad.

First elected in 2006, Jordan has few bills to his name from his time in office. He also faces questions about his past. Some years ago, Jordan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-6fb5bfff7db9439883907efce5c119fb">denied allegations</a>&nbsp;from former wrestlers during his time as an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University who accused him of knowing about claims they were inappropriately groped by an Ohio doctor. Jordan has said he was never aware of any abuse.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697646116539.png" alt="View of the House during the vote count on Wednesday-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>View of the House during the vote count on Wednesday-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Rep.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jim-jordan-house-speaker-republicans-0f759a46f63aa9daf9e6939e45799329">Jim Jordan</a>&nbsp;failed again Wednesday on a crucial second ballot to become House speaker, the hard-fighting ally of Donald Trump losing even more GOP colleagues who refused to give him the the gavel.Next steps were highly uncertain as a bipartisan group of lawmakers floated an extraordinary plan — to give the interim speaker-pro-tempore, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., more power to reopen the House and temporarily conduct routine business.What was clear was that Jordan's path to become House speaker was almost certainly lost. He was opposed by two more than the 20 Republican detractors he lost in first round voting the day before.The House gaveled in with angry, frustrated GOP lawmakers looking at other options. And as the rollcall was underway, a few new detractors emerged to oppose Jordan who did not seem to be picking up new votes beyond one lawmaker who was absent the day before.Ahead of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-vote-guide-jordan-410d2f46378a7ab2fee9d6534fd2ef76">morning vote</a>, Jordan made an unexpected plea for party unity, the combative Judiciary Committee chairman telling his colleagues on social media, “We must stop attacking each other and come together.”A surprisingly large and politically diverse group of&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jim-jordan-house-speaker-mccarthy-trump-f2b2bf9dc834742bde93d5fc918d9940">20 Republicans had rejected Jordan's nomination</a>&nbsp;the day before, many resenting the hardball tactics seeking to enforce support, and viewing the Ohio congressman as too extreme for the powerful position of House speaker, second in line to the presidency.The House has hit a standstill, stuck while Jordan worked to shore up backing from Republican colleagues for the job to replace the ousted&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">Kevin McCarthy</a>. Republicans are exhausted by the infighting since McCarthy's sudden removal by hard-liners, who are now within reach of a central seat of U.S. power.The vote for House speaker, once a formality in Congress, has devolved into&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/speaker-jordan-scalise-mccarthy-election-votes-explainer-db85c1d80dcc36f296245851ad1278ab">another bitter showdown for the gavel</a>.With Republicans in majority control 221-212, Jordan must pick up most of his GOP foes to win. Tuesday's tally, with 200 Republicans voting for Jordan and 212 for the Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, left no candidate with a clear majority, as the 20 Republicans voted for someone else. .In nominating Jordan, veteran Republican Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma said it was time to end the upheaval that he had warned against with McCarthy’s sudden ouster.“We have a chance today to end that chaos, end that uncertainty,” Cole said.He said that Jordan was “not a shrinking violet” but someone who could lead the House.Democratic Rep. Pete Aguilar noted that Jeffries continues to win more votes and is the best choice to move the country forward.“The country cannot afford more delays and more chaos,” Aguilar said.Bipartisan groups of lawmakers have been floating ways to operate the House by&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/house-speaker-powers-mchenry-875bebd218096a5252840cd8f52cc137">giving greater power</a>&nbsp;to McHenry or another temporary speaker. The House had never ousted its speaker before McCarthy.The novel concept of boosting the interim speaker's role was gaining favor with a pair of surprising high-profile Republicans: Former GOP speakers Newt Gingrich and John Boehner.Gingrich said while he likes Jordan, he has “no faith” the nominee can get much beyond the 200 votes he won in the first vote.“We can’t sit around and suck our thumbs and hope the world will wait until the House Republicans get their act together,” Gingrich told Fox News' Sean Hannity on his show.Boehner reposted Gingrich's views saying, “I agree,” on social media.The two men have deep experience with the subject. Both were chased to early retirement by threats of ouster from right-flank insurgents&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kevin-mccarthy-republican-lawmakers-house-opponents-33c7d984964916f29d548b5b1dfe508b">like those who toppled McCarthy</a>.“The Republicans are unable to function right now,” said Jeffries. He said talks would “accelerate” between Democrats and Republicans on alternative plans.“Jim Jordan will be a great speaker,” Trump had said Tuesday said outside a courthouse in Manhattan, where he is facing&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fraud-trial-net-worth-new-york-067501b1d742d4dccba2521ac3262fdb">business fraud charges</a>. "I think he’s going to have the votes soon, if not today, over the next day or two."Flexing their independence, the holdouts are a mix of pragmatists — ranging from seasoned legislators and committee chairs worried about governing, to newer lawmakers from districts where voters back home prefer President Joe Biden to Trump.Some Republicans resent being pressured by Jordan’s allies and say they are being threatened with primary opponents if they don’t support him as speaker. Others are simply upset at the way the whole process has dragged out.One holdout, Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, said Tuesday that Jordan’s role in the runup to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/capitol-siege">the Jan. 6, 2021, attack</a>&nbsp;on the Capitol and his refusal to admit that Biden, a Democrat, won the 2020 election remained an issue.Jordan has been a top Trump ally, particularly during&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-confirm-joe-biden-78104aea082995bbd7412a6e6cd13818">the Jan. 6 Capitol attack</a>&nbsp;by the former president’s backers who were trying to overturn the 2020 election he lost to Biden. Days later, Trump awarded Jordan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-jim-jordan-impeachments-capitol-siege-eeadab127460dd5170e79608f654aca6">a Medal of Freedom</a>.The political climb has been steep for Jordan, the combative Judiciary Committee chairman and a founding member of the right-flank Freedom Caucus. He is known more as a chaos agent than a skilled legislator, raising questions about how he would lead. Congress faces daunting challenges, risking&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-mccarthy-congress-republicans-732baaa19c91f981e492fd0e6a76aba8">a federal shutdown</a>&nbsp;at home if it fails to fund the government and fielding Biden's requests for aid to help&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/mccarthy-gaetz-speaker-motion-to-vacate-congress-327e294a39f8de079ef5e4abfb1fa555">Ukraine</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://newsroom.ap.org/a">Israel</a>&nbsp;in the wars abroad.First elected in 2006, Jordan has few bills to his name from his time in office. He also faces questions about his past. Some years ago, Jordan&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-6fb5bfff7db9439883907efce5c119fb">denied allegations</a>&nbsp;from former wrestlers during his time as an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University who accused him of knowing about claims they were inappropriately groped by an Ohio doctor. Jordan has said he was never aware of any abuse.

House in chaos; still no Speaker: Neb. Rep Bacon votes McCarthy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Pete&nbsp;Ricketts&nbsp;(R-NE), a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, called on Congress to pass a long-term freeze of&nbsp;the $6 billion President Joe Biden&nbsp;was going to allow Iran&nbsp;to access.

Following the attack on Israel, the Biden administration reached a “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/politics/us-qatar-iran-funds/index.html" target="_blank">quiet understanding</a>” with Qatar to re-freeze the $6 billion.&nbsp;Ricketts&nbsp;believes a long-term solution is needed and has co-sponsored two pieces of legislation to block Iran’s access to these funds.

“It is naive and stupid to think, that if we give them enough money, Iran will play nice,”&nbsp;said&nbsp;Ricketts. “It's not going to happen. The $6 billion is part of an overall package of $50 billion in sanction relief that the Biden administration has given back to Iran… These brutal attacks on our closest ally in the Middle East demonstrate that this must end. We must stop this foolishness of thinking that we can be bring Iran around.”

“It is crazy to give them money so they can support Hamas,”&nbsp;Ricketts&nbsp;continued.&nbsp;“Whether or not they actually planned this attack with Hamas or not, they have been supporting Hamas and they are responsible for this attack… But let me tell you, temporarily freezing $6 billion when we have seen the atrocities in Israel does not cut it. All of this money needs to be stopped and stopped permanently.”

A full transcript of&nbsp;Ricketts’ comments is available below and you can watch the video&nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/qAE3XlFAiJQ" target="_blank">HERE</a>.

Ricketts&nbsp;has co-sponsored two bills to block Iran’s access to the $6 billion the Biden administration released in August:

Senator&nbsp;Ricketts:&nbsp;“We stand with Israel and we must end this appeasement strategy by the Biden administration toward Iran.

“I'm glad the president finally saw some common sense in temporarily freezing the $6 billion. But let's remember, this was a deal cut in secret by the Biden administration, and if the&nbsp;Wall Street Journal&nbsp;reports are accurate, Iran was double dealing with us. Talking to Hamas, planning this attack at the same time negotiating and getting the $6 billion from us.

“That just shows you the level of contempt that Iran has for the Biden administration.

“It is naive and stupid to think, that if we give them enough money, that Iran will play nice. It's not going to happen.&nbsp;

“The $6 billion is part of an overall package of $50 billion in sanction relief that the Biden administration has given back to Iran. This must end.&nbsp;

“These brutal attacks on our closest ally in the Middle East demonstrate that this must end.

“We must stop this foolishness of thinking that we can be bring Iran around. We must make sure that this stops.&nbsp;

“And remember, what the Biden administration said is, ‘Oh, look, this $6 billion. This is for humanitarian aid. It's for food.’&nbsp;

“How dumb do they think we are? If you have $60.00 you are going to go spend on groceries and I give you $60.00 and say, ‘Hey, go spend this on groceries.’ You can go spend that $60 on anything you want.

“Money can be spent anywhere and in fact the Iranians have said they're going to spend the money any way they want. And as has already been noted here, they're the largest state sponsor of terrorism.

“It is crazy to give them money so they can support Hamas.&nbsp;

“Whether or not they actually planned this attack with Hamas or not, they have been supporting Hamas and they are responsible for this attack.

“And so, I joined my colleagues in saying that this must end. We must stop supporting Iran, and we must send a very strong message that we stand with Israel.&nbsp;

“I want to thank Senator Blackburn for her efforts to be able to make this happen. I'm also on board with some of the other bills, like by Senator Scott and Senator Cotton, to stop this as well.&nbsp;

But let me tell you, temporarily freezing $6 billion when we have seen the atrocities in Israel does not cut it. All of this money needs to be stopped and stopped permanently.

“And that's why I appreciate the effort of Senator Blackburn, of my colleagues to make sure that happens.

“We must end this appeasement strategy toward Iran. We must stand with Israel.”

By Office of Senator Pete RickettsWASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Pete&nbsp;Ricketts&nbsp;(R-NE), a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, called on Congress to pass a long-term freeze of&nbsp;the $6 billion President Joe Biden&nbsp;was going to allow Iran&nbsp;to access.Following the attack on Israel, the Biden administration reached a “<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/12/politics/us-qatar-iran-funds/index.html" target="_blank">quiet understanding</a>” with Qatar to re-freeze the $6 billion.&nbsp;Ricketts&nbsp;believes a long-term solution is needed and has co-sponsored two pieces of legislation to block Iran’s access to these funds.“It is naive and stupid to think, that if we give them enough money, Iran will play nice,”&nbsp;said&nbsp;Ricketts. “It's not going to happen. The $6 billion is part of an overall package of $50 billion in sanction relief that the Biden administration has given back to Iran… These brutal attacks on our closest ally in the Middle East demonstrate that this must end. We must stop this foolishness of thinking that we can be bring Iran around.”“It is crazy to give them money so they can support Hamas,”&nbsp;Ricketts&nbsp;continued.&nbsp;“Whether or not they actually planned this attack with Hamas or not, they have been supporting Hamas and they are responsible for this attack… But let me tell you, temporarily freezing $6 billion when we have seen the atrocities in Israel does not cut it. All of this money needs to be stopped and stopped permanently.”A full transcript of&nbsp;Ricketts’ comments is available below and you can watch the video&nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/qAE3XlFAiJQ" target="_blank">HERE</a>.Ricketts&nbsp;has co-sponsored two bills to block Iran’s access to the $6 billion the Biden administration released in August:<ul>
 <li>Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-and-mcconnell-to-introduce-legislation-to-freeze-6-billion-payment-to-iran-immediately" target="_blank">introduced legislation</a>&nbsp;that would block Iran from accessing the $6 billion in funds the Biden administration released in August.</li><li>The Revoke Iranian Funding Act&nbsp;<a href="https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-leads-colleagues-in-bill-to-freeze-6-billion-to-iran-probe-additional-iranian-assets" target="_blank">introduced by Senator Tim Scott (R-SC)</a>&nbsp;would rescind the general licenses that enabled the release of $6 billion to Iran, prevent the Iranian regime from accessing and using the funds held in Qatar to finance terrorism, and direct the Treasury Secretary to explore the need for further targeted sanctions against Iranian assets around the world.</li>
 </ul>TRANSCRIPTSenator&nbsp;Ricketts:&nbsp;“We stand with Israel and we must end this appeasement strategy by the Biden administration toward Iran.“I'm glad the president finally saw some common sense in temporarily freezing the $6 billion. But let's remember, this was a deal cut in secret by the Biden administration, and if the&nbsp;Wall Street Journal&nbsp;reports are accurate, Iran was double dealing with us. Talking to Hamas, planning this attack at the same time negotiating and getting the $6 billion from us.“That just shows you the level of contempt that Iran has for the Biden administration.“It is naive and stupid to think, that if we give them enough money, that Iran will play nice. It's not going to happen.&nbsp;“The $6 billion is part of an overall package of $50 billion in sanction relief that the Biden administration has given back to Iran. This must end.&nbsp;“These brutal attacks on our closest ally in the Middle East demonstrate that this must end.“We must stop this foolishness of thinking that we can be bring Iran around. We must make sure that this stops.&nbsp;“And remember, what the Biden administration said is, ‘Oh, look, this $6 billion. This is for humanitarian aid. It's for food.’&nbsp;“How dumb do they think we are? If you have $60.00 you are going to go spend on groceries and I give you $60.00 and say, ‘Hey, go spend this on groceries.’ You can go spend that $60 on anything you want.“Money can be spent anywhere and in fact the Iranians have said they're going to spend the money any way they want. And as has already been noted here, they're the largest state sponsor of terrorism.“It is crazy to give them money so they can support Hamas.&nbsp;“Whether or not they actually planned this attack with Hamas or not, they have been supporting Hamas and they are responsible for this attack.“And so, I joined my colleagues in saying that this must end. We must stop supporting Iran, and we must send a very strong message that we stand with Israel.&nbsp;“I want to thank Senator Blackburn for her efforts to be able to make this happen. I'm also on board with some of the other bills, like by Senator Scott and Senator Cotton, to stop this as well.&nbsp;But let me tell you, temporarily freezing $6 billion when we have seen the atrocities in Israel does not cut it. All of this money needs to be stopped and stopped permanently.“And that's why I appreciate the effort of Senator Blackburn, of my colleagues to make sure that happens.“We must end this appeasement strategy toward Iran. We must stand with Israel.”

Ricketts: “It’s Naive & Stupid to Think If We Give Them Enough Money Iran Will Play Nice”

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;vowed to show the world that the U.S. stands in solidarity with Israelis during his visit there Wednesday, and offered an assessment that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-biden-hospital-d9606e0ead1f8c4e9fd00b602ed14a38">deadly explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital</a>&nbsp;apparently was not carried out by the Israeli military.

“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you,” Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting. But he said there were “a lot of people out there” who weren't sure what caused the blast, which sparked protests throughout the Middle East.

Biden didn't offer details on why he believed the Israelis were not responsible for the blast, and the White House did not immediately explain his assessment.

“The entire world was rightfully outraged but this outrage should be directed not at Israel but at the terrorists,” Netanyahu said during a subsequent meeting with Biden and Israel's war cabinet.

Biden had been scheduled to visit Jordan to meet with Arab leaders after the stop in Israel, but the summit was called off after the hospital explosion. And his remarks spoke both of the horrors the Israelis had endured, but also the growing humanitarian crisis for Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

He told Netanyahu he was “deeply saddened and outraged” by the hospital explosion. He stressed that “Hamas does not represent all the Palestinian people. and it has brought them only suffering.”

Biden spoke of the need to find ways of “encouraging life-saving capacity to help the Palestinians who are innocent, caught in the middle of this.”

But he also said Hamas had “slaughtered” Israelis in the Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,400 people. Biden described at length the horror of the killing of innocent Israelis, including children.

“Americans are grieving, they really are,” Biden said. “Americans are worried.”

“I want you to know you're not alone. We will continue to have Israel's back as you work to defend your people," Biden said during the larger meeting with Netanyahu and Israeli officials. "We'll continue to work with you and partners across the region to prevent more tragedy to innocent civilians."

Netanyahu thanked Biden for coming to Israel, telling him the visit was “deeply, deeply moving."

“I know I speak for all the people of Israel when I say thank you Mr. President, thank you for standing with Israel today, tomorrow and always.”

Netanyahu said Biden had rightly drawn a clear line between the “forces of civilization and the forces of barbarism,” saying Israel was united in its resolve to defeat Hamas.

“The civilized world must unite to defeat Hamas," he said.

Biden also planned to meet Israeli first responders and the families of victims and those being held hostage by Hamas. Netanyahu met Biden at Ben Gurion International Airport and the two embraced. It was almost exactly a month ago that they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-israel-saudi-arabia-normalization-hamas-246213034afa75e4dff27e71362a1979">sat together at the United Nations General Assembly</a>, where Netanyahu marveled that a “historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia” seemed within reach.

The possibility of improved relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors appears to be dimming; Israel has been preparing for a potential ground invasion of Gaza in response to Hamas' attacks.

Roughly 2,800 Palestinians have been reported killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza. Another 1,200 people are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-siege-airstrikes-rescue-war-b4147d61a1fd1628e1029349224ab708">believed to be buried under the rubble</a>, alive or dead, health authorities said.

Those numbers predate the explosion at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-biden-rafah-e062825a375d9eb62e95509cab95b80c">the Al-Ahli hospital</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday. No clear cause has been established for the blast.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-hospital-jordan-egypt-protests-590f24d154fb3cb256ec1707ec78b816">Protests swept through the region</a>&nbsp;after the blast at the hospital, which had been treating wounded Palestinians and sheltering many more who were seeking a refuge from the fighting.

Hundreds of Palestinians flooded the streets of major West Bank cities including Ramallah. More people joined protests that erupted in Beirut, Lebanon and Amman, Jordan, where an angry crowd gathered outside the Israeli Embassy.

Outrage scuttled Biden's plans to visit Jordan, where King Abdullah II was to host meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. But Abbas withdrew in protest, and the summit was subsequently canceled outright.

Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, told a state-run television network that the war is “pushing the region to the brink.”

Jordan declared three days of mourning after the hospital explosion and Safadi said the summit was canceled after speaking with all leaders. He said they had wanted the meeting to produce an end to the war, which seems unlikely now, and to give Palestinians the respect they deserve. Kirby said Biden understood the move was part of a “mutual” decision to call off the Jordan portion of his trip. He said Biden would speak to the Arab leaders by phone as he returned to Washington.

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, said Tuesday that Biden was “capable of telling Israel, Enough is enough."

“You have to stop this carnage against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. Let this stop. Let humanitarian assistance take place,” he said. "Do not displace two million Palestinians and push them in the direction of Jordan and then let’s begin a political horizon.”

There are also fears that a new front could erupt along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where Hezbollah operates. The Iran-backed organization has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-hezbollah-clashes-cadccde8c6ce5400ee36fd12d3bfea52">skirmishing with Israeli forces.</a>

Always a believer in the power of personal diplomacy, Biden's trip will test the limits of U.S. influence in the Middle East at a volatile time. It's his second trip to a conflict zone this year, after visiting Ukraine in February to show solidarity with the country as it battles a Russian invasion.

The visit to Israel coincides with rising humanitarian concerns in Gaza, where Israel has cut off the flow of food, fuel and water. Mediators have been struggling to break a deadlock over providing supplies to desperate civilians, aid groups and hospitals.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, bouncing back and forth between Arab and Israeli leadership ahead of Biden’s visit, spent seven and a half hours meeting Monday in Tel Aviv in an effort to broker some kind of aid agreement and emerged with a green light to develop a plan on how aid can enter Gaza and be distributed to civilians.

Although only a modest accomplishment on the surface, U.S. officials stressed that Blinken's talks led to a significant change in Israel’s position going in — that Gaza would remain cut off from fuel, electricity, water and other essential supplies.

U.S. officials said it has become clear that already limited Arab tolerance of Israel’s military operations would evaporate entirely if conditions in Gaza worsened.

Their analysis projected that outright condemnation of Israel by Arab leaders would not only be a boon to Hamas but would likely encourage Iran to step up its anti-Israel activity, adding to fears that a regional conflagration might erupt, according to four officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration thinking.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — President Joe Biden opened his visit to Israel on Wednesday vowing to show the world that the U.S. stands in solidarity with the Jewish people and offering an assessment that the deadly explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital appeared to have been carried out “by the other team” and not the Israeli military.

“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you,” Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting, referring to Hamas militants. But Biden said there were “a lot of people out there” who weren't sure what caused the blast.

The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said an Israeli airstrike caused the destruction and hundreds of deaths. The Israeli military denied involvement and blamed a misfired rocket from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group. However, that organization also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/israel-hamas-war-live-updates#0000018b-401a-d2c3-a9ff-721a1d610000">rejected responsibility.</a>

Biden had been scheduled to visit Jordan after the stop in Israel, but meetings there with Arab leaders were called off after the hospital explosion. He told Netanyahu he was “deeply saddened and outraged” by the explosion. But he also said it was not hyperbole to say Hamas had “slaughtered” Israelis in the Oct. 7 attack.

Netanyahu thanked Biden for coming to Israel, telling him the visit was “deeply, deeply moving.”

Netanyahu met Biden at Ben Gurion Airport and they embraced before speeding away for hours of meetings, where the U.S. president is expected to push for allowing critical humanitarian aid to be delivered to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Israel has been preparing for a potential ground invasion of Gaza in response to Hamas' attacks on Oct. 7, which killed 1,400 Israelis.

John Kirby, a White House national security spokesperson, told reporters aboard Air Force One that Biden “wants to get a sense from the Israelis on the situation on the ground” and will “ask some tough questions."

“He'll be asking them as a friend,” Kirby added.

The president also planned to meet Israeli first responders and the families of victims killed and hostages taken when Hamas made its incursion into Israel.

Protests swept through the region after the blast at the hospital, which had been treating wounded Palestinians and sheltering many more who were seeking a refuge from the fighting.

Outrage scuttled Biden's plans to visit Jordan, where King Abdullah II had planned to host meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. But Abbas withdrew in protest, and the summit was subsequently canceled outright.

Jordan declared three days of mourning after the hospital explosion. Kirby said Biden understood the move was part of a “mutual” decision to call off the Jordan portion of his trip. He said Biden would speak to the Arab leaders by phone as he returned to Washington.

Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, told a state-run television network that the war is "pushing the region to the brink.”

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697623511291.png" alt="Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport, Wednesday-photo office of Israel Prime Minister" />
 <figcaption>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after arriving at Ben Gurion International Airport, Wednesday-photo office of Israel Prime Minister</figcaption>
 </figure>TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — President&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>&nbsp;vowed to show the world that the U.S. stands in solidarity with Israelis during his visit there Wednesday, and offered an assessment that the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-biden-hospital-d9606e0ead1f8c4e9fd00b602ed14a38">deadly explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital</a>&nbsp;apparently was not carried out by the Israeli military.“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you,” Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting. But he said there were “a lot of people out there” who weren't sure what caused the blast, which sparked protests throughout the Middle East.Biden didn't offer details on why he believed the Israelis were not responsible for the blast, and the White House did not immediately explain his assessment.“The entire world was rightfully outraged but this outrage should be directed not at Israel but at the terrorists,” Netanyahu said during a subsequent meeting with Biden and Israel's war cabinet.Biden had been scheduled to visit Jordan to meet with Arab leaders after the stop in Israel, but the summit was called off after the hospital explosion. And his remarks spoke both of the horrors the Israelis had endured, but also the growing humanitarian crisis for Palestinian civilians in Gaza.He told Netanyahu he was “deeply saddened and outraged” by the hospital explosion. He stressed that “Hamas does not represent all the Palestinian people. and it has brought them only suffering.”Biden spoke of the need to find ways of “encouraging life-saving capacity to help the Palestinians who are innocent, caught in the middle of this.”But he also said Hamas had “slaughtered” Israelis in the Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,400 people. Biden described at length the horror of the killing of innocent Israelis, including children.“Americans are grieving, they really are,” Biden said. “Americans are worried.”“I want you to know you're not alone. We will continue to have Israel's back as you work to defend your people," Biden said during the larger meeting with Netanyahu and Israeli officials. "We'll continue to work with you and partners across the region to prevent more tragedy to innocent civilians."Netanyahu thanked Biden for coming to Israel, telling him the visit was “deeply, deeply moving."“I know I speak for all the people of Israel when I say thank you Mr. President, thank you for standing with Israel today, tomorrow and always.”Netanyahu said Biden had rightly drawn a clear line between the “forces of civilization and the forces of barbarism,” saying Israel was united in its resolve to defeat Hamas.“The civilized world must unite to defeat Hamas," he said.Biden also planned to meet Israeli first responders and the families of victims and those being held hostage by Hamas. Netanyahu met Biden at Ben Gurion International Airport and the two embraced. It was almost exactly a month ago that they&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-israel-saudi-arabia-normalization-hamas-246213034afa75e4dff27e71362a1979">sat together at the United Nations General Assembly</a>, where Netanyahu marveled that a “historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia” seemed within reach.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697623831480.png" alt="photo office of Israel Prime Minister" />
 <figcaption>photo office of Israel Prime Minister</figcaption>
 </figure>The possibility of improved relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors appears to be dimming; Israel has been preparing for a potential ground invasion of Gaza in response to Hamas' attacks.Roughly 2,800 Palestinians have been reported killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza. Another 1,200 people are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-siege-airstrikes-rescue-war-b4147d61a1fd1628e1029349224ab708">believed to be buried under the rubble</a>, alive or dead, health authorities said.Those numbers predate the explosion at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-biden-rafah-e062825a375d9eb62e95509cab95b80c">the Al-Ahli hospital</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday. No clear cause has been established for the blast.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-hospital-jordan-egypt-protests-590f24d154fb3cb256ec1707ec78b816">Protests swept through the region</a>&nbsp;after the blast at the hospital, which had been treating wounded Palestinians and sheltering many more who were seeking a refuge from the fighting.Hundreds of Palestinians flooded the streets of major West Bank cities including Ramallah. More people joined protests that erupted in Beirut, Lebanon and Amman, Jordan, where an angry crowd gathered outside the Israeli Embassy.Outrage scuttled Biden's plans to visit Jordan, where King Abdullah II was to host meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. But Abbas withdrew in protest, and the summit was subsequently canceled outright.Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, told a state-run television network that the war is “pushing the region to the brink.”Jordan declared three days of mourning after the hospital explosion and Safadi said the summit was canceled after speaking with all leaders. He said they had wanted the meeting to produce an end to the war, which seems unlikely now, and to give Palestinians the respect they deserve. Kirby said Biden understood the move was part of a “mutual” decision to call off the Jordan portion of his trip. He said Biden would speak to the Arab leaders by phone as he returned to Washington.Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, said Tuesday that Biden was “capable of telling Israel, Enough is enough."“You have to stop this carnage against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. Let this stop. Let humanitarian assistance take place,” he said. "Do not displace two million Palestinians and push them in the direction of Jordan and then let’s begin a political horizon.”There are also fears that a new front could erupt along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where Hezbollah operates. The Iran-backed organization has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-hezbollah-clashes-cadccde8c6ce5400ee36fd12d3bfea52">skirmishing with Israeli forces.</a>Always a believer in the power of personal diplomacy, Biden's trip will test the limits of U.S. influence in the Middle East at a volatile time. It's his second trip to a conflict zone this year, after visiting Ukraine in February to show solidarity with the country as it battles a Russian invasion.The visit to Israel coincides with rising humanitarian concerns in Gaza, where Israel has cut off the flow of food, fuel and water. Mediators have been struggling to break a deadlock over providing supplies to desperate civilians, aid groups and hospitals.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, bouncing back and forth between Arab and Israeli leadership ahead of Biden’s visit, spent seven and a half hours meeting Monday in Tel Aviv in an effort to broker some kind of aid agreement and emerged with a green light to develop a plan on how aid can enter Gaza and be distributed to civilians.Although only a modest accomplishment on the surface, U.S. officials stressed that Blinken's talks led to a significant change in Israel’s position going in — that Gaza would remain cut off from fuel, electricity, water and other essential supplies.U.S. officials said it has become clear that already limited Arab tolerance of Israel’s military operations would evaporate entirely if conditions in Gaza worsened.Their analysis projected that outright condemnation of Israel by Arab leaders would not only be a boon to Hamas but would likely encourage Iran to step up its anti-Israel activity, adding to fears that a regional conflagration might erupt, according to four officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration thinking.___TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — President Joe Biden opened his visit to Israel on Wednesday vowing to show the world that the U.S. stands in solidarity with the Jewish people and offering an assessment that the deadly explosion at a Gaza Strip hospital appeared to have been carried out “by the other team” and not the Israeli military.“Based on what I’ve seen, it appears as though it was done by the other team, not you,” Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a meeting, referring to Hamas militants. But Biden said there were “a lot of people out there” who weren't sure what caused the blast.The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said an Israeli airstrike caused the destruction and hundreds of deaths. The Israeli military denied involvement and blamed a misfired rocket from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group. However, that organization also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/live/israel-hamas-war-live-updates#0000018b-401a-d2c3-a9ff-721a1d610000">rejected responsibility.</a>Biden had been scheduled to visit Jordan after the stop in Israel, but meetings there with Arab leaders were called off after the hospital explosion. He told Netanyahu he was “deeply saddened and outraged” by the explosion. But he also said it was not hyperbole to say Hamas had “slaughtered” Israelis in the Oct. 7 attack.“Americans are grieving, they really are,” Biden said. “Americans are worried.”Netanyahu thanked Biden for coming to Israel, telling him the visit was “deeply, deeply moving.”“I know I speak for all the people of Israel when I say thank you Mr. President, thank you for standing with Israel today, tomorrow and always.”Netanyahu met Biden at Ben Gurion Airport and they embraced before speeding away for hours of meetings, where the U.S. president is expected to push for allowing critical humanitarian aid to be delivered to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.Israel has been preparing for a potential ground invasion of Gaza in response to Hamas' attacks on Oct. 7, which killed 1,400 Israelis.John Kirby, a White House national security spokesperson, told reporters aboard Air Force One that Biden “wants to get a sense from the Israelis on the situation on the ground” and will “ask some tough questions."“He'll be asking them as a friend,” Kirby added.The president also planned to meet Israeli first responders and the families of victims killed and hostages taken when Hamas made its incursion into Israel.Roughly 2,800 Palestinians have been reported killed by Israeli strikes in Gaza. Another 1,200 people are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-siege-airstrikes-rescue-war-b4147d61a1fd1628e1029349224ab708">believed to be buried under the rubble</a>, alive or dead, health authorities said.Those numbers predate the explosion at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-biden-rafah-e062825a375d9eb62e95509cab95b80c">the Al-Ahli hospital</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday. No clear cause has been established for the blast.Protests swept through the region after the blast at the hospital, which had been treating wounded Palestinians and sheltering many more who were seeking a refuge from the fighting.Hundreds of Palestinians flooded the streets of major West Bank cities including Ramallah. More people joined protests that erupted in Beirut, Lebanon and Amman, Jordan, where an angry crowd gathered outside the Israeli Embassy.Outrage scuttled Biden's plans to visit Jordan, where King Abdullah II had planned to host meetings with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi. But Abbas withdrew in protest, and the summit was subsequently canceled outright.Jordan declared three days of mourning after the hospital explosion. Kirby said Biden understood the move was part of a “mutual” decision to call off the Jordan portion of his trip. He said Biden would speak to the Arab leaders by phone as he returned to Washington.Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, told a state-run television network that the war is "pushing the region to the brink.”There are also fears that a new front could erupt along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, where Hezbollah operates. The Iran-backed organization has been&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-israel-hezbollah-clashes-cadccde8c6ce5400ee36fd12d3bfea52">skirmishing with Israeli forces.</a>Always a believer in the power of personal diplomacy, Biden's trip will test the limits of U.S. influence in the Middle East at a volatile time. It's his second trip to a conflict zone this year, after visiting Ukraine in February to show solidarity with the country as it battles a Russian invasion.The visit to Israel coincides with rising humanitarian concerns in Gaza, where Israel has cut off the flow of food, fuel and water. Mediators have been struggling to break a deadlock over providing supplies to desperate civilians, aid groups and hospitals.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, bouncing back and forth between Arab and Israeli leadership ahead of Biden’s visit, spent seven and a half hours meeting Monday in Tel Aviv in an effort to broker some kind of aid agreement and emerged with a green light to develop a plan on how aid can enter Gaza and be distributed to civilians.Although only a modest accomplishment on the surface, U.S. officials stressed that Blinken's talks led to a significant change in Israel’s position going in — that Gaza would remain cut off from fuel, electricity, water and other essential supplies.U.S. officials said it has become clear that already limited Arab tolerance of Israel’s military operations would evaporate entirely if conditions in Gaza worsened.Their analysis projected that outright condemnation of Israel by Arab leaders would not only be a boon to Hamas but would likely encourage Iran to step up its anti-Israel activity, adding to fears that a regional conflagration might erupt, according to four officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration thinking.

President Biden in Israel amid anger over Gaza hospital attack

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s efforts to tamp down tensions in the escalating war between Israel and Hamas faced massive setbacks even before he departed for the Middle East on Tuesday, as Jordan called off the president's planned summit with Arab leaders after a deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital killed hundreds.

Biden now will visit only Israel and will postpone his travel to Jordan, a White House official said as Biden departed.

The postponement of the Amman summit comes after Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas withdrew from the scheduled meetings in protest of the attacks, which the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza blamed on an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli military said it had no involvement and pinned the blame on a misfired Palestinian rocket.

“This war and this aggression are pushing the region to the brink,” Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, told al-Mamlaka TV, a state-run network. He said Jordan would only host the summit when all participants agreed on its purpose, which would be to “stop the war, respect the humanity of the Palestinians, and deliver the aid they deserve.”

The cancellation reflects an increasingly volatile situation that will test the limits of American influence in the region as Biden visits Wednesday.

Biden’s decision to put himself in a conflict zone —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-biden-f00af220669457d5ba07127c7e57a27b">the same year he made a surprise visit to Ukraine</a>&nbsp;— demonstrates his willingness to take personal and political risks as he becomes heavily invested in another intractable foreign conflict with no clear end game and plenty of opportunity for things to spiral out of control.

The high-stakes presidential trip is emblematic of Biden’s belief that the United States should not turn back from its central role on the global stage and his faith that personal diplomacy can play a decisive role.

“This is how Joe Biden believes politics works and history is made,” said Jon Alterman, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who worked on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee while Biden was a member.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-palestinian-civilians-safety-airstrikes-f38f27da1dd995acc14e6db1524761e7">There's been no water, fuel or food delivered to Gaza since the brutal Oct. 7 attack</a>&nbsp;by Hamas that killed more than 1,400 Israelis and triggered the unfolding war. Mediators have been struggling to break a deadlock over providing supplies to desperate civilians, aid groups and hospitals.

As the humanitarian crisis grows, so too does the concern of a spiraling conflict that stretches beyond the borders of Gaza. There have already been skirmishes on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-israel-hamas-lebanon-war-423f5f20d691dcd0cc8af1788f11857b">Israel’s northern border with Hezbollah</a>, an Iran-backed group that’s based in Southern Lebanon.

“There’s a lot that can go wrong on this trip,” Alterman said.

Biden's travels will be rife with security concerns, and visits by other U.S. officials have been disrupted by rocket launches into Israel. Additional Israeli airstrikes in Gaza could also prompt more condemnation at a time when Biden is intending to demonstrate solidarity with the United States' closest ally in the region.

<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-israel-hamas-war-egypt-elsissi-a08b6e4f8fe5edeab4c97753d254f8b9">The U.S. has subtly shifted its message over the past week</a>, maintaining full-throated support for Israel while slowly turning up the diplomatic volume on the need for humanitarian assistance in Gaza, as Biden and aides have heard increasingly dire predictions about the potential for images of suffering Palestinians to ignite protests and broader unrest throughout the Middle East.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, bouncing back and forth between Arab and Israeli leadership ahead of Biden's visit, spent seven and a half hours meeting Monday in Tel Aviv in an effort to broker some kind of aid agreement and emerged with a green light to create a plan on how aid can enter Gaza and be distributed to civilians.

It was on the surface a modest accomplishment, but U.S. officials stressed that it represented a significant change in Israel’s position going in — that Gaza would remain cut off from fuel, electricity, water and other essential supplies.

Biden has a long track record of showing public support for Israel while expressing concerns privately to the Israelis about their behavior.

“He believes the only way to get inside the Israelis’ heads is to demonstrate profound empathy, but also to be there,” Alterman said.

In the U.S., Biden has won rare praise from Republicans over his leadership on Israel, but prospects for providing additional aid are uncertain. The administration has said it would ask for more than $2 billion in aid for both Israel and Ukraine,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jim-jordan-house-speaker-mccarthy-trump-f2b2bf9dc834742bde93d5fc918d9940">though House Republicans remain in disarray.</a>

Still,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ukraine-budget-security-assistance-799067491a1bba9671b4dfdf491d0a8e">Biden is committed to both Ukraine and Israel.</a>

“We’re the United States of America, for God’s sake, the most powerful nation in the history of the world,” he said this week on CBS' “60 Minutes” when asked whether the wars in Israel and Ukraine were more than the U.S. can take on at once. “We have the capacity to do this and we have an obligation to. ... And if we don’t, who does?”

In Israel, Biden was expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. His plans to then meet in Jordan with King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas were scrapped.

<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-palestinian-conflict">The Israel-Palestinian conflict</a>&nbsp;has been ongoing for decades, and to a large extent, it's involved the same cadre of men. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history. Abbas has been Palestinian president for nearly 20 years. Abdullah II has been king since 1999 — Biden has called the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-middle-east-government-and-politics-jordan-5c527e77c5e9c5b74f88dbfa9920e707">Jordanian king a loyal ally in a “tough neighborhood."</a>&nbsp;El-Sissi is the newest leader, president since 2014.

It's important for these leaders, too, to avoid a prolonged and engulfing regional escalation, particularly as Egypt and Jordan face growing economic tumult.

In September, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2023/09/debt-clouds-over-the-middle-east-adnan-mazarei">International Monetary Fund</a>&nbsp;issued a report saying that Egypt and Jordan are among the countries in the region that “stand at the brink of a debt crisis.” Egypt in particular is struggling with high inflation.

Neither nation wants to absorb refugees. Jordan already has a large Palestinian population, and the country is coping with hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighboring Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.

With tens of thousands of troops massed along the Israel-Gaza border, Israel has been expected to launch a ground invasion — but plans remain uncertain. U.S. officials have refused to say whether the Israelis were holding off in order for Biden to visit.

“We are preparing for the next stages of war,” Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said. “We haven’t said what they will be. Everybody’s talking about a ground offensive. It might be something different.”

Meanwhile, the death toll is mounting even without the war's next stage. Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed at least 2,700 people and wounded more than 9,700, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Nearly two-thirds of those killed were children, a ministry official said.

Another 1,200 people across Gaza are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-siege-airstrikes-rescue-war-b4147d61a1fd1628e1029349224ab708">believed to be buried under the rubble</a>, alive or dead.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-c8b4fc20e4fd2ef381d5edb7e9e8308c">More than 1 million Palestinians have fled their homes</a>&nbsp;— roughly half of Gaza’s population — and 60% are now in the approximately 8-mile-long (14-kilometer-long) area south of the evacuation zone, according to the United Nations.

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip says at least 500 people have been killed in an explosion that it says was caused by an Israeli airstrike on a Gaza City Hospital.

If confirmed, the attack on the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City would be by far the deadliest Israeli airstrike in five wars fought since 2008. Hundreds of people were seeking shelter at the hospital at the time of the blast.

Hamas authorities said most of the people killed were hospital patients and displaced families.

“A new war crime committed by the (Israeli) occupation by bombing the Al-Ahli Hospital in the center of Gaza City,” said Salama Marouf, a spokesperson for Hamas. ” The hospital was housing hundreds of patients, wounded, and those forcibly displaced from their homes due to the strikes.”

&nbsp;The Israeli military says it had no involvement and that the blast was caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket.

A senior Palestinian official says President Mahmoud Abbas canceled his participation in a meeting scheduled Wednesday with President Joe Biden and other Mideast leaders.

Abbas was scheduled to join Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at Wednesday’s summit in Amman, Jordan, where they are to discuss the Israel-Hamas war with Biden.

But the senior official said Abbas was withdrawing to protest an alleged Israeli airstrike on the hospital&nbsp;

“The president is very angry after the news of the Israeli massacre at the hospital in Gaza, and he decided to immediately return to Ramallah,” the official said.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the cancelation has not been formally announced.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697584258512.png" alt="Biden now will visit only Israel and will postpone his travel to Jordan, a White House official said as Biden departed.-White House photo" />
 <figcaption>Biden now will visit only Israel and will postpone his travel to Jordan, a White House official said as Biden departed.-White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s efforts to tamp down tensions in the escalating war between Israel and Hamas faced massive setbacks even before he departed for the Middle East on Tuesday, as Jordan called off the president's planned summit with Arab leaders after a deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital killed hundreds.Biden now will visit only Israel and will postpone his travel to Jordan, a White House official said as Biden departed.The postponement of the Amman summit comes after Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas withdrew from the scheduled meetings in protest of the attacks, which the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza blamed on an Israeli airstrike. The Israeli military said it had no involvement and pinned the blame on a misfired Palestinian rocket.“This war and this aggression are pushing the region to the brink,” Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s foreign minister, told al-Mamlaka TV, a state-run network. He said Jordan would only host the summit when all participants agreed on its purpose, which would be to “stop the war, respect the humanity of the Palestinians, and deliver the aid they deserve.”The cancellation reflects an increasingly volatile situation that will test the limits of American influence in the region as Biden visits Wednesday.Biden’s decision to put himself in a conflict zone —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-zelenskyy-biden-f00af220669457d5ba07127c7e57a27b">the same year he made a surprise visit to Ukraine</a>&nbsp;— demonstrates his willingness to take personal and political risks as he becomes heavily invested in another intractable foreign conflict with no clear end game and plenty of opportunity for things to spiral out of control.The high-stakes presidential trip is emblematic of Biden’s belief that the United States should not turn back from its central role on the global stage and his faith that personal diplomacy can play a decisive role.“This is how Joe Biden believes politics works and history is made,” said Jon Alterman, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who worked on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee while Biden was a member.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-gaza-palestinian-civilians-safety-airstrikes-f38f27da1dd995acc14e6db1524761e7">There's been no water, fuel or food delivered to Gaza since the brutal Oct. 7 attack</a>&nbsp;by Hamas that killed more than 1,400 Israelis and triggered the unfolding war. Mediators have been struggling to break a deadlock over providing supplies to desperate civilians, aid groups and hospitals.As the humanitarian crisis grows, so too does the concern of a spiraling conflict that stretches beyond the borders of Gaza. There have already been skirmishes on&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/hezbollah-israel-hamas-lebanon-war-423f5f20d691dcd0cc8af1788f11857b">Israel’s northern border with Hezbollah</a>, an Iran-backed group that’s based in Southern Lebanon.“There’s a lot that can go wrong on this trip,” Alterman said.Biden's travels will be rife with security concerns, and visits by other U.S. officials have been disrupted by rocket launches into Israel. Additional Israeli airstrikes in Gaza could also prompt more condemnation at a time when Biden is intending to demonstrate solidarity with the United States' closest ally in the region.<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-israel-hamas-war-egypt-elsissi-a08b6e4f8fe5edeab4c97753d254f8b9">The U.S. has subtly shifted its message over the past week</a>, maintaining full-throated support for Israel while slowly turning up the diplomatic volume on the need for humanitarian assistance in Gaza, as Biden and aides have heard increasingly dire predictions about the potential for images of suffering Palestinians to ignite protests and broader unrest throughout the Middle East.U.S. officials said it has become clear that already limited Arab tolerance of Israel’s military operations would evaporate entirely if conditions in Gaza worsened.Their analysis projected that outright condemnation of Israel by Arab leaders would not only be a boon to Hamas but would likely encourage Iran to step up its anti-Israel activity, adding to fears that a regional conflagration might erupt, according to four officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration thinking.U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, bouncing back and forth between Arab and Israeli leadership ahead of Biden's visit, spent seven and a half hours meeting Monday in Tel Aviv in an effort to broker some kind of aid agreement and emerged with a green light to create a plan on how aid can enter Gaza and be distributed to civilians.It was on the surface a modest accomplishment, but U.S. officials stressed that it represented a significant change in Israel’s position going in — that Gaza would remain cut off from fuel, electricity, water and other essential supplies.Biden has a long track record of showing public support for Israel while expressing concerns privately to the Israelis about their behavior.“He believes the only way to get inside the Israelis’ heads is to demonstrate profound empathy, but also to be there,” Alterman said.In the U.S., Biden has won rare praise from Republicans over his leadership on Israel, but prospects for providing additional aid are uncertain. The administration has said it would ask for more than $2 billion in aid for both Israel and Ukraine,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/jim-jordan-house-speaker-mccarthy-trump-f2b2bf9dc834742bde93d5fc918d9940">though House Republicans remain in disarray.</a>Still,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/congress-ukraine-budget-security-assistance-799067491a1bba9671b4dfdf491d0a8e">Biden is committed to both Ukraine and Israel.</a>“We’re the United States of America, for God’s sake, the most powerful nation in the history of the world,” he said this week on CBS' “60 Minutes” when asked whether the wars in Israel and Ukraine were more than the U.S. can take on at once. “We have the capacity to do this and we have an obligation to. ... And if we don’t, who does?”In Israel, Biden was expected to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials. His plans to then meet in Jordan with King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas were scrapped.<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/israel-palestinian-conflict">The Israel-Palestinian conflict</a>&nbsp;has been ongoing for decades, and to a large extent, it's involved the same cadre of men. Netanyahu is the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history. Abbas has been Palestinian president for nearly 20 years. Abdullah II has been king since 1999 — Biden has called the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-middle-east-government-and-politics-jordan-5c527e77c5e9c5b74f88dbfa9920e707">Jordanian king a loyal ally in a “tough neighborhood."</a>&nbsp;El-Sissi is the newest leader, president since 2014.It's important for these leaders, too, to avoid a prolonged and engulfing regional escalation, particularly as Egypt and Jordan face growing economic tumult.In September, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/fandd/issues/2023/09/debt-clouds-over-the-middle-east-adnan-mazarei">International Monetary Fund</a>&nbsp;issued a report saying that Egypt and Jordan are among the countries in the region that “stand at the brink of a debt crisis.” Egypt in particular is struggling with high inflation.Neither nation wants to absorb refugees. Jordan already has a large Palestinian population, and the country is coping with hundreds of thousands of refugees from neighboring Syria, Iraq and elsewhere.With tens of thousands of troops massed along the Israel-Gaza border, Israel has been expected to launch a ground invasion — but plans remain uncertain. U.S. officials have refused to say whether the Israelis were holding off in order for Biden to visit.“We are preparing for the next stages of war,” Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said. “We haven’t said what they will be. Everybody’s talking about a ground offensive. It might be something different.”Meanwhile, the death toll is mounting even without the war's next stage. Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed at least 2,700 people and wounded more than 9,700, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Nearly two-thirds of those killed were children, a ministry official said.Another 1,200 people across Gaza are&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-siege-airstrikes-rescue-war-b4147d61a1fd1628e1029349224ab708">believed to be buried under the rubble</a>, alive or dead.&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/israel-palestinians-gaza-hamas-war-c8b4fc20e4fd2ef381d5edb7e9e8308c">More than 1 million Palestinians have fled their homes</a>&nbsp;— roughly half of Gaza’s population — and 60% are now in the approximately 8-mile-long (14-kilometer-long) area south of the evacuation zone, according to the United Nations.-----------RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip says at least 500 people have been killed in an explosion that it says was caused by an Israeli airstrike on a Gaza City Hospital.If confirmed, the attack on the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City would be by far the deadliest Israeli airstrike in five wars fought since 2008. Hundreds of people were seeking shelter at the hospital at the time of the blast.Hamas authorities said most of the people killed were hospital patients and displaced families.“A new war crime committed by the (Israeli) occupation by bombing the Al-Ahli Hospital in the center of Gaza City,” said Salama Marouf, a spokesperson for Hamas. ” The hospital was housing hundreds of patients, wounded, and those forcibly displaced from their homes due to the strikes.”&nbsp;The Israeli military says it had no involvement and that the blast was caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket.A senior Palestinian official says President Mahmoud Abbas canceled his participation in a meeting scheduled Wednesday with President Joe Biden and other Mideast leaders.Abbas was scheduled to join Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi at Wednesday’s summit in Amman, Jordan, where they are to discuss the Israel-Hamas war with Biden.But the senior official said Abbas was withdrawing to protest an alleged Israeli airstrike on the hospital&nbsp;“The president is very angry after the news of the Israeli massacre at the hospital in Gaza, and he decided to immediately return to Ramallah,” the official said.The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the cancelation has not been formally announced.

Summit with Arab leaders called off as President Biden heads to Israel

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House of Representatives has rejected Jim Jordan's nomination for speaker two weeks after the chamber ousted Kevin McCarthy from the top spot.

Jordan scrambled unsuccessfully to shore up the votes needed to clinch the speakership in the closely divided chamber. He could only afford to lose a few GOP votes to win the nod.

The Ohio congressman did even worse than Kevin McCarthy did on the first balloting of his election back in January.

Jordan lost 20 Republican votes, well more than the three he could spare to win the speaker's gavel.

More rounds of voting are expected as Jordan works to shore up support to replace McCarthy for the job and the leader of the GOP’s hard-right flank moves to take a central seat of U.S. power. But it's unclear when the next vote will take place.

The Jordan holdouts are a mix of pragmatists, ranging from seasoned legislators and committee chairs worried about governing to newer lawmakers from districts where their voters back home prefer President Joe Biden to former President Donald Trump.

Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon was among twenty Republicans who voted against Jordan, an outcome way worse than his allies were hoping for. Republican members of the Kansas and Missouri delegation voted for Jordan. Bacon cast his vote for Kevin McCarthy.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/10/1697564676639.png" alt="View of the House floor duing the Tuesday afternoon vote count photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>View of the House floor duing the Tuesday afternoon vote count photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON (AP) — The House of Representatives has rejected Jim Jordan's nomination for speaker two weeks after the chamber ousted Kevin McCarthy from the top spot.Jordan scrambled unsuccessfully to shore up the votes needed to clinch the speakership in the closely divided chamber. He could only afford to lose a few GOP votes to win the nod.The Ohio congressman did even worse than Kevin McCarthy did on the first balloting of his election back in January.Jordan lost 20 Republican votes, well more than the three he could spare to win the speaker's gavel.More rounds of voting are expected as Jordan works to shore up support to replace McCarthy for the job and the leader of the GOP’s hard-right flank moves to take a central seat of U.S. power. But it's unclear when the next vote will take place.The Jordan holdouts are a mix of pragmatists, ranging from seasoned legislators and committee chairs worried about governing to newer lawmakers from districts where their voters back home prefer President Joe Biden to former President Donald Trump.Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon was among twenty Republicans who voted against Jordan, an outcome way worse than his allies were hoping for. Republican members of the Kansas and Missouri delegation voted for Jordan. Bacon cast his vote for Kevin McCarthy.For his part, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is smiling and joking with colleagues as he no longer bears the weight of cajoling them to unite. He had earlier predicted that Jordan would clinch the gavel on the first round.--------