Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to cancel a scheduled meeting between his advisers and White House officials on Monday following the Biden administration’s decision to allow an anti-Israel resolution to pass at the United Nations Security Council.
The resolution, UNSC Resolution 2728, was passed after the U.S. abstained from voting, despite having the power to veto it. This resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas during the last two weeks of Ramadan, but fails to condemn Hamas for its recent terror attack or make the ceasefire conditional on the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza.
Netanyahu had previously insisted on linking the ceasefire to the release of hostages, as demanding a ceasefire without this condition would effectively allow Hamas to continue its attacks and hold Israeli captives. In response to the U.S. decision and the passing of the resolution, Netanyahu called off the meeting with White House officials.
Netanyahu released a statement saying:
” United States has abandoned its policy in the UN today. Just a few days ago, it supported a Security Council resolution that linked a call for a ceasefire to the release of hostages.
“China and Russia vetoed that resolution partly because they opposed a ceasefire that was linked to the release of hostages. Yet today, Russia and China joined Algeria and others in supporting the new resolution precisely because it had no such linkage.
“Regrettably, the United States did not veto the new resolution, which calls for a ceasefire that is not contingent on the release of hostages.
“This constitutes a clear departure from the consistent US position in the Security Council since the beginning of the war.
“Today’s resolution gives Hamas hope that international pressure will force Israel to accept a ceasefire without the release of our hostages, thus harming both the war effort and the effort to release the hostages.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear last night that should the US depart from its principled policy and not veto this harmful resolution, he will cancel the Israeli delegation’s visit to the United States. In light of the change in the US position, PM Netanyahu decided that the delegation will remain in Israel.”
The United States reiterated that its stance remained unchanged and clarified that it abstained from the resolution due to its failure to condemn Hamas. The White House, as reported by the Times of Israel, also expressed that Prime Minister Netanyahu had reacted excessively. Benny Gantz, an opposition politician who is part of Israel’s emergency government of national unity, stated that Netanyahu should have still sent representatives.
Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, is currently in Washington for discussions regarding Israel’s need for rearmament. He criticized the UN Security Council resolution as “scandalous” without directly criticizing the Biden administration. Gallant emphasized that Israel would not have the “moral right” to cease the conflict until all hostages were released. During a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week, Netanyahu conveyed that while Israel would prefer U.S. support in its operation in Rafah, it was prepared to proceed independently and believed it could safely evacuate civilians.
