Alva Review-Courier -

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his envoy reached out to Palestinian and regional Arab leaders Tuesday on a ninth day of Israeli airstrikes and Hamas rockets, while some House Democrats split on whether to step up pressure for a cease-fire and for more forceful U.S. diplomacy to end the fighting.

Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee weighed — but on Tuesday shelved — writing President Joe Biden to demand that he delay a pending $735 million sale of precision-guided missiles to Israel. Dozens of progressive and mainstream Democratic lawmakers have called for...