Israel cancels Washington visit as the US abstains on UN Gaza ceasefire vote

The White House suggests Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to manufacture a split in Israel-US ties after the US abstained in the UN Security Council vote demanding a ceasefire in Gaza.

The United Nations Security Council votes for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza at the UN headquarters in New York. Picture: AFP.

The White House has suggested Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to manufacture a split in Israel-US ties, after Jerusalem cancelled plans for senior officials to visit Washington over a UN Security Council vote calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The US abstained in the vote, allowing the resolution to pass, in a move that signalled the administration’s growing frustration with Mr Netanyahu.

It was the first time the UNSC demanded a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas after more than five months of war.

The US abstention infuriated Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who said Washington was harming the war effort against Hamas and attempts to free hostages with its decision

In a statement, Mr Netanyahu’s office called the decision “a clear retreat from the consistent US position in the Security Council since the beginning of the war,” and one that “gives Hamas hope that international pressure will allow them to get a ceasefire without releasing our hostages.”

However the US National Seucrity Council spokesman said the vote did not represent a policy and the US abstained because the resolution did not condemn Hamas.

“It seems like the Prime Minister’s Office is choosing to create a perception of daylight here when they don’t need to do that,” John Kirby told reporters.

“We’re kind of perplexed by this. It’s a non-binding resolution, so there’s no impact at all on Israel’s ability to continue to go after Hamas.

“The Prime Minister’s Office seems to be indicating through public statements that we’ve somehow changed here. We haven’t.”

Mr Kirby added: “We’re very disappointed that they won’t be coming to Washington, DC to allow us to have a fulsome conversation with them about viable alternatives to going in on the ground in Rafah.”

He said the Biden administration still planned to take up its concerns over a ground offensive in Rafah with Israel Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, who is on a separate visit to Washington.

Mr Gallant will likely discuss Rafah with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and State

Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US would “find ways to make our concerns known”

“We believe this type of full-scale invasion would be a mistake, not just because of the civilian harm that it would cost which would be immense,” Mr Miller said.

Mr Gallant said his country will not end the war until the hostages are freed.

“We have no moral right to stop the war while there are still hostages held in Gaza,” he said outside the White House.

Apart from US abstention, all 14 other members voted in favour of the resolution which “demands an immediate ceasefire” for the ongoing Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

The resolution calls for the truce to lead to a “lasting, sustainable ceasefire” and demands that Hamas and other militants free hostages seized in their October 7 attack that triggered the massive Israeli military campaign.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demanded that the resolution be implemented. “Failure would be unforgivable,” Mr Guterres wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour fought back tears as he said that the resolution should be a “turning point” in ending the war.

“Apologies to those who the world has failed, to those that could have been saved but were not,” he said.

‘No moral right to stop the war’

The United States had repeatedly blocked Security Council resolutions that put pressure on Israel but has increasingly shown frustration with its ally as the United Nations warns of impending famine in Gaza.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week vowed to defy US appeals and expand Israel’s military campaign to Rafah, the southern Gaza city where some 1.5 million Palestinians have taken shelter.

Hamas welcomed the resolution and said it would engage in talks on a prisoner exchange brokered by Qatar, after repeated delays in securing a deal.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who had previously warned that pressure on Israel would jeopardise ongoing talks, said that Hamas must now accept the deal to free hostages.

“A ceasefire can begin immediately with the release of the first hostage,” Ms Thomas-Greenfield said. “This is the only path to securing a ceasefire.” She called on all nations to “speak out and demand unequivocally” that Hamas accept the deal and again accused Russia and China of failing to offer more than “rhetoric” to address the crisis.

The United States on Friday put forward a resolution that would have included a call for an immediate ceasefire but linked it more explicitly to the hostage release. Russia and China vetoed it, calling the language too vague.

On Monday, Russia introduced an amendment to add a call for a “permanent” rather than “lasting” ceasefire but the vote failed and Moscow still voted for the resolution.

“The word ‘lasting’ could be interpreted in various different ways, and that is very telling. Those who are providing cover for Israel still want to give it a free hand,” said Russia’s ambassador, Vasily Nebenzia.

France said that the resolution ended the “deafening silence” by the Security Council on Gaza but called for work on a permanent ceasefire once Ramadan ends in around two weeks.

“This crisis is not over,” said France’s UN representative, Nicolas de Riviere. The October 7 attack by Hamas, the deadliest in Israel’s history, resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures.

The militants also seized 250 hostages, of whom Israel believes around 130 remain in Gaza, including 33 presumed dead.

Israel responded by vowing to eliminate Hamas. Its Gaza campaign has killed more than 32,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

With AFP