Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled a planned visit to Washington by a high-level delegation to protest Monday’s U.N. Security Council decision calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. The resolution passed 14-0 on Monday after the U.S. decided not to use its veto power and instead abstained. The U.S. has previously vetoed three resolutions demanding a cease-fire.
Here’s the latest:
Quick Read
- Protest Against UN Resolution: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a high-level delegation’s planned visit to Washington to protest the UN Security Council’s resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
- UN Resolution Details: The resolution, which passed with a 14-0 vote and a U.S. abstention, calls for a cease-fire during Ramadan and the release of all hostages taken during Hamas’ attack on October 7. It doesn’t link the hostage release directly to the cease-fire demand.
- Humanitarian Crisis: The Gaza Strip is facing severe food insecurity and an imminent famine threat in the north, with over 32,000 deaths and 74,000 injuries reported since the conflict’s onset.
- Netanyahu’s Reaction: Netanyahu criticized the U.S. for “retreating” from its previously “principled position” by not conditioning the cease-fire on Hamas’ release of Israeli hostages.
- Strategic Plans Affected: The Israeli delegation intended to discuss plans for a potential ground invasion of Rafah, where a significant number of Palestinian civilians have sought refuge, with White House officials.
- US Position on Cease-Fire: The U.S. abstained from the UN Security Council vote on a cease-fire in Gaza, stating that the resolution’s failure to condemn Hamas was the reason for their abstention.
- Veto History: This abstention follows the veto by Russia and China of a U.S.-sponsored resolution advocating for an immediate and sustained cease-fire in the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
- Cease-Fire Duration: The approved resolution calls for a cease-fire during Ramadan, which would last two weeks, with the hope that it leads to a more enduring peace.
- Diplomatic Efforts: U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield highlighted the resolution’s support for ongoing diplomatic efforts to achieve a cease-fire that includes the release of all hostages.
- International Support: The resolution, supported by Russia, China, and the Arab Group at the UN, faced alterations at the behest of the U.S., specifically removing the term “permanent” from the cease-fire demand.
- Implementation Concerns: Despite the Security Council’s demand for a cease-fire, concerns remain about the resolution’s implementation and the potential for conflict resumption post-Ramadan.
- Humanitarian Crisis: Gaza is experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis, with over 32,000 Palestinians killed and the looming threat of famine affecting millions.
- Previous Cease-Fire Calls: The U.S. has vetoed three prior resolutions demanding a cease-fire in Gaza, reflecting the complexity and political sensitivities surrounding the Israeli-Hamas conflict.
The Associated Press has the story:
Netanyahu cancels diplomats’ visit to Washington in protest over U.N. vote
Newslooks- JERUSALEM – (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled a planned visit to Washington by a high-level delegation to protest Monday’s U.N. Security Council decision calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.
The resolution passed 14-0 on Monday after the U.S. decided not to use its veto power and instead abstained. The U.S. has previously vetoed three resolutions demanding a cease-fire.
The resolution also calls for the release of all hostages taken captive during Hamas’ Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. But the measure does not link that demand to its call for a cease-fire, intended for the ongoing Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends April 9.
International aid officials say the entire population of the Gaza Strip — 2.3 million people — is suffering from food insecurity and that famine is imminent in the hard-hit north.
More than 32,000 people have been killed in the territory, and more than 74,000 wounded, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its counts. It says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
Some 1,200 people were killed on Oct. 7 when Palestinian militants launched a surprise attack out of Gaza, triggering the war, and abducted another 250 people. Hamas is still believed to be holding some 100 Israelis hostage, as well as the remains of 30 others.
Netanyahu has canceled a planned visit to Washington by a high-level delegation to protest Monday’s U.N. Security Council decision calling for an immediate cease-fire.
Netanyahu accused the U.S. of “retreating” from what he said had been a “principled position” by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the cease-fire on the release of hostages held by Hamas.
The Israeli delegation was to present White House officials with plans for an expected ground invasion of the strategic Gaza town of Rafah, where over 1 million Palestinian civilians have sought shelter from the war.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the U.S. had been “consistent” in its support for a cease-fire as part of a hostage deal.
“The reason we abstained is because this resolution text did not condemn Hamas,” Kirby said.
The vote comes 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.
The United States warned that the resolution approved Monday could hurt negotiations to halt hostilities by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar, raising the possibility of another veto, this time by the Americans.
Because Ramadan ends next month, the cease-fire demand would last for just two weeks, though the draft says the pause in fighting should lead “to a permanent sustainable cease-fire.”
U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said that the resolution “spoke out in support of the ongoing diplomatic efforts,” adding that negotiators were “getting closer to a deal for an immediate cease-fire with the release of all hostages, but we’re not there yet.”
“So today, my ask to members of this council and to member states in every region of the world is this speak out and demand unequivocally that Hamas accepts the deal on the table,” she said.
The resolution, put forward by the 10 elected council members, was backed by Russia and China and the 22-nation Arab Group at the United Nations.
Algeria’s U.N. ambassador, the Arab representative on the council, thanked the council for “finally” demanding a cease-fire.
“We look forward to the commitment and the compliance of the Israeli occupying power with this resolution, for them to put an end to the bloodbath without any conditions, to end the suffering of the Palestinian people.” he said. “It is the responsibility of the Security Council to ensure the implementation of the provisions of this resolution.”
Shortly before Monday’s vote, the elected members changed the final draft resolution to drop the word “permanent” from its demand that a Ramandan cease-fire will lead to “a permanent sustainable cease-fire,” apparently at the request of the United States.
Russia complained that dropping the word could allow Israel “to resume its military operation in the Gaza Strip at any moment” after Ramadan and proposed an amendment to restore it. That amendment was defeated because it failed to get the minimum nine “yes” vote — with three council members voting in favor, the United States voting against, and 11 countries abstaining.
Since the start of the war, the Security Council has adopted two resolutions on the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza, but none has called for a cease-fire.
More than 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed during the fighting, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The agency does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.
Gaza also faces a dire humanitarian emergency, with a report from an international authority on hunger warning March 18 that “famine is imminent” in northern Gaza and that escalation of the war could push half of the territory’s 2.3 million people to the brink of starvation.
The United States has vetoed three resolutions demanding a cease-fire in Gaza, the most recent an Arab-backed measure on Feb. 20. That resolution was supported by 13 council members with one abstention, reflecting the overwhelming support for a cease-fire.
Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution in late October calling for pauses in the fighting to deliver aid, the protection of civilians and a halt to arming Hamas. They said it did not reflect global calls for a cease-fire.
They again vetoed a U.S. resolution Friday, calling it ambiguous and saying it was not the direct demand to end the fighting that much of the world seeks.
The vote became another showdown involving world powers that are locked in tense disputes elsewhere, with the United States taking criticism for not being tough enough against its ally Israel, even as tensions between the two countries rise.
In previous resolutions, the U.S. has closely intertwined calls for a cease-fire with demands for the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. This resolution, using wording that’s open to interpretation, continued to link the two issues, but not as firmly.
Currently:
— Palestinians describe bodies and ambulances crushed in Israel’s ongoing raid at Gaza’s main hospital
— UN to vote on resolution demanding a cease-fire in Gaza during current Muslim holy month of Ramadan
— Thousands of Christians attend Palm Sunday celebrations in Jerusalem against a backdrop of war
— Israeli airstrike in northeastern Lebanon wounds 3, local official says
— Find more of AP’s coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
