The United States infuriated Israel by abstaining from the vote when the UN Security Council made its first demand for a cease-fire in Gaza on Monday. In response, Israel called off a high-level delegation’s trip to Washington in the most visible spat between the partners since the start of the war.
The U.S., according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is “retreating” from a “principled position” by permitting the vote to succeed without requiring the release of Hamas hostages in order to maintain the cease-fire.
The U.S. decided not to exercise its veto power over the resolution, which also called for the return of all captives abducted during Hamas’ surprise raid in southern Israel on October 7. The resolution was approved 14-0 by the 15-member council. The room cracked after the release of all hostages taken captive during Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. The chamber broke into loud applause after the vote.
The U.S. has vetoed past Security Council cease-fire resolutions due to their failure to directly tie them to the release of hostages, condemn Hamas’ attacks, and the delicacy of ongoing negotiations. The resolution approved Monday demands the release of hostages but does not make it a condition for the cease-fire for the month of Ramadan, which ends in April. Hamas said it welcomed the U.N.’s move but said the cease-fire needs to be permanent. The militant group has sought a deal that includes a complete end to the conflict.
The U.S. decision to abstain comes at a time of growing tensions between President Joe Biden’s administration and Netanyahu over Israel’s prosecution of the war, the high number of civilian casualties, and limited amounts of humanitarian assistance reaching Gaza. The two countries have also clashed over Netanyahu’s rejection of a Palestinian state, Jewish settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, and the expansion of settlements there.
The well-known antagonism between Netanyahu and Biden deepened after Biden questioned Israel’s strategy for combating Hamas. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Biden ally, suggested that Netanyahu was not operating in Israel’s best interests and called for Israel to hold new elections. Biden signaled his approval of Schumer’s remarks, prompting a rebuke from Netanyahu.
The resolution approved Monday came after Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution Friday that would have supported “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” in the Israeli-Hamas conflict. That resolution featured a weakened link between a cease-fire and the release of hostages, leaving it open to interpretation with no time limit. The United States warned that the resolution approved Monday could hurt negotiations to halt the hostilities, raising the possibility of another veto, this time by the Americans.
(AP)
