"The first bill I'm going to bring to this floor in a little while will be in support of our dear friend Israel and we are overdue in getting that done," Johnson said as he accepted the speakership.
The House backed the resolution by 412 to 10, with six members voting "present," reflecting traditional strong support in Congress for the Jewish state. The non-binding measure reaffirms U.S. commitment to Israel and calls on Hamas to immediately cease attacks and release every hostage.
Nine of the no votes were from Democrats, some of whom said they opposed the resolution since it did not address the loss of Palestinian lives, and one from a Republican. All six of the "present" votes came from Democrats.
