UNITED NATIONS (AP) 鈥 The United Nations Security Council on Monday issued its first demand for a cease-fire in Gaza, with the U.S. angering Israel by abstaining from the vote. Israel responded by canceling a visit to Washington by a high-level delegation in the strongest public clash between the allies since the war began.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the U.S. of 鈥渞etreating鈥 from a 鈥減rincipled position鈥 by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the cease-fire on the release of hostages held by Hamas.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the administration was 鈥渒ind of perplexed鈥 by Netanyahu鈥檚 decision. He said the Israelis were 鈥渃hoosing to create a perception of daylight here when they don鈥檛 need to do that.鈥
Kirby and the American ambassador to the U.N. said the U.S. abstained because the resolution did not condemn Hamas. U.S. officials chose to abstain rather than veto the proposal "because it does fairly reflect our view that a cease-fire and the release of hostages come together,鈥 Kirby said.
The 15-member council voted 14-0 to approve the resolution, which also demanded the release of all hostages taken captive during Hamas鈥 Oct. 7 surprise attack in southern Israel. The chamber broke into loud applause after the vote.
The U.S. vetoed past Security Council cease-fire resolutions in large part because of the failure to tie them directly to the release of hostages, the failure to condemn Hamas' attacks and the delicacy of ongoing negotiations. American officials have argued that the cease-fire and hostage releases are linked, while Russia, China and many other council members favored unconditional calls for a cease-fire.
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.
鈥淲e confirm our readiness to engage in an immediate prisoner exchange process that leads to the release of prisoners on both sides,鈥 the group said. For months, the militants have sought a deal that includes a complete end to the conflict.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres tweeted: 鈥淭his resolution must be implemented. Failure would be unforgivable.鈥
The U.S. decision to abstain comes at a time of growing tensions between President Joe Biden's administration and Netanyahu over Israel鈥檚 prosecution of the war, the high number of civilian casualties and the limited amounts of humanitarian assistance reaching Gaza. The two countries have also clashed over Netanyahu鈥檚 rejection of a Palestinian state, Jewish settler violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the expansion of settlements there.
In addition, the well-known antagonism between Netanyahu and Biden 鈥 which dates from Biden鈥檚 tenure as vice president 鈥 deepened after Biden questioned Israel鈥檚 strategy in combating Hamas.
Then Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Biden ally, suggested that Netanyahu was not operating in Israel鈥檚 best interests and called for Israel to hold new elections. Biden signaled his approval of Schumer鈥檚 remarks, prompting a rebuke from Netanyahu.
During its U.S. visit, the Israeli delegation was to present White House officials with its plans for a possible ground invasion of Rafah, a city on the Egyptian border in southern Gaza where over 1 million Palestinian civilians have sought shelter from the war.
Last week, Netanyahu rebuffed a U.S. request to halt the planned Rafah invasion - vowing during a visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to act alone if necessary. Blinken warned that Israel could soon face growing international isolation, while Vice President Kamala Harris said Israel could soon face unspecified consequences if it launches the ground assault.
The Security Council vote came after Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution Friday that would have supported 鈥渁n immediate and sustained cease-fire鈥 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, and 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. The talks involve the U.S., Egypt and Qatar.
Because Ramadan ends April 9, the cease-fire demand would last for just two weeks, though the draft says the pause in fighting should lead to "a lasting sustainable cease-fire.鈥
The U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the resolution 鈥渟poke out in support of the ongoing diplomatic efforts,鈥 adding that negotiators were 鈥済etting closer鈥 to a deal for a cease-fire with the release of all hostages, "but we鈥檙e not there yet.鈥
She urged the council and U.N. members across the world to 鈥渟peak out and demand unequivocally that Hamas accepts the deal on the table.鈥
Thomas-Greenfield said the U.S. abstained because 鈥渃ertain edits鈥 the U.S. requested were ignored, including a condemnation of Hamas.
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.
Under the United Nations Charter, Security Council resolutions are legally binding on its 193 member nations, though they are often flouted.
Algeria鈥檚 U.N. ambassador, Amar Bendjama, the Arab representative on the council, thanked the council for 鈥渇inally" demanding a cease-fire.
鈥淲e 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,鈥 he said.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, told the council that the vote 鈥渕ust be a turning point鈥 that leads to saving lives in Gaza and ending the 鈥渁ssault of atrocities against our people.鈥
Shortly before Monday鈥檚 vote, the elected members changed the final draft resolution to drop the word 鈥減ermanent鈥 from its demand that a Ramadan cease-fire should lead to a 鈥渟ustainable" halt in fighting apparently at the request of the United States.
Russia complained that dropping the word could allow Israel 鈥渢o 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 鈥測es鈥 votes 鈥 with three council members voting in favor, the United States voting against, and 11 countries abstaining.
Since the start of the war, the 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 between civilians and combatants in its count, but says make up two-thirds of the dead.
Gaza also faces a dire humanitarian emergency. A report from an international authority on hunger warned last week that and that escalation of the war could push half of the territory鈥檚 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 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 humanitarian 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.
That 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.
Thomas-Greenfield accused Russia and China on Monday of using the Gaza conflict "as a political cudgel, to try to divide this council at a time when we need to come together.鈥
___
Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Colleen Long in Washington and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed.
