The UN Security Council voted to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza: the United States abstained

Netanyahu cancels visit of Israeli delegation to Washington

The UN Security Council voted to demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza for the first time since the war between Israel and Hamas began, after the US abandoned a veto threat, leading to a significant rift with the Israeli government.

The United States abstained from voting for the resolution, which “demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan.” The document adopted by the UN Security Council also demands the release of the hostages by Hamas, but does not make the ceasefire conditional on the release of the hostages, as Washington had previously insisted on. All other 14 members of the Security Council voted for the resolution.

Before the vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to cancel an Israeli delegation’s visit to Washington planned for earlier this week to discuss a planned Israeli offensive on the Gaza city of Rafah, which the Biden administration opposed.

Ultimately, Netanyahu canceled an Israeli delegation’s visit to the White House, according to Israeli media reports, after the US abandoned its threat to veto a UN Security Council vote demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

In a statement, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said that “the United States has retreated from its consistent position in the Security Council linking a ceasefire to the release of hostages.”

That the United States abstained from voting, rather than vetoing the resolution (as it has done more than once), marks a split in the US administration’s relationship with the Netanyahu government, reflecting growing frustration in Washington with the Israeli prime minister’s defiant assertion that that Israeli forces will continue to attack Rafah, and ongoing Israeli obstacles to the delivery of humanitarian aid.

While the resolution calls for a temporary ceasefire during the remainder of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, it adds that it should lead to a “long-term sustainable ceasefire.” In the latest amendment requested by the United States, the word “long-term” replaced the wording “permanent,” despite Russian objections.

The US requested a last-minute amendment Monday morning to add condemnation of Hamas for its Oct. 7 attack on Israel, prompting an urgent rush of diplomats to the conference room, but abandoned the request when it became clear the amendment would face resistance.

Meanwhile, at a UN Security Council meeting, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield criticized the Russian and Chinese approach and said the US was disappointed that the resolution still did not go far enough to condemn Hamas as a terrorist organization. Thomas-Greenfield said, “We appreciate the willingness of members of this Council to make some of our edits and improve this resolution. However, some key edits were ignored, including our requests to add condemnation of Hamas. And we didn’t agree with everything in the resolution. For this reason, we, unfortunately, were unable to vote in favor.

Critically, the ceasefire and hostage release will allow much more humanitarian aid to reach Gaza at a time when mass famine looms, and will provide an opportunity to work towards a sustainable cessation of fighting and a future in which Hamas can no longer threaten Israel and never will not repeat October 7.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for implementation of a Security Council resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, adding that “failure would be unforgivable.”

Guterres said in a social media post: “The Security Council has just approved a long-awaited resolution on Gaza demanding an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. This resolution must be implemented. Failure to comply would be unforgivable.”