EGN NEWS DESK
For the more and more tense U.S.-Israel relationship, the fallout from passage of the U.N. cease-fire decision was fast, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned Monday that he wouldn’t ship a deliberate high-level delegation to Washington for conferences with U.S. officers.
President Biden had requested the conferences to debate alternate options to a deliberate Israeli offensive into Rafah, the southern Gaza metropolis the place greater than one million individuals have sought refuge, an offensive that American officers have mentioned would create an humanitarian catastrophe.
The United States had vetoed three earlier U.N. Security Council resolutions calling for an finish to the battle in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, agreeing with Israel’s argument that it will depart Hamas intact and in charge of the enclave after it carried out the Oct. 7 assault on Israel.
But on Monday, when the Security Council took up a much less strongly worded decision, calling for a cease-fire for the holy month of Ramadan, the U.S. consultant abstained, permitting the measure to move.
Mr. Netanyahu, in an announcement, denounced the abstention as “a retreat from the constant American place because the starting of the battle,” one which “provides Hamas hope that worldwide stress will allow them to realize a cease-fire with out releasing the hostages.”
In response, he mentioned, the Israeli delegation that was to debate Rafah wouldn’t go to Washington. The sensible impression of his resolution could also be restricted — Mr. Netanyahu has mentioned repeatedly that though he would hear out the White House place, the offensive would proceed — however it’s nonetheless a pointy, public rebuke of Israel’s closest and strongest ally.
Briefing reporters on the White House, John F. Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, insisted there had been no change within the American place, and mentioned that the United States had abstained, moderately than vote for the U.N. measure, mainly as a result of “this decision textual content didn’t embody a condemnation of Hamas.”
He mentioned there had been no official notification that the delegation from Israel was not coming to Washington, however added: “We have been trying ahead to having a chance to talk to a delegation later this week on exploring viable choices and alternate options to a serious floor offensive in Rafah.”
“We felt we had worthwhile classes to share,” Mr. Kirby mentioned. He famous that Yoav Gallant, the Israeli protection minister, was in Washington and was nonetheless anticipated to satisfy with President Biden’s nationwide safety adviser, Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III.
Mr. Gallant, earlier than assembly with Mr. Sullivan, gave no signal Israel would conform to a cease-fire. “We will function in opposition to Hamas all over the place — together with in locations the place we’ve got not but been,” he mentioned. He added, “We haven’t any ethical proper to cease the battle whereas there are nonetheless hostages held in Gaza.”
Mr. Gallant and Mr. Austin will focus on Israel’s planning for Rafah once they meet on Tuesday, mentioned Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, and Israel’s request for extra American weapons. He reiterated the administration’s place that earlier than going into Rafah, Israel will need to have an in depth plan to guard, shelter and feed the civilians there.
“A floor invasion, particularly with none kind of credible plan, is a mistake given the big variety of individuals, displaced individuals, which can be there in the intervening time,” General Ryder advised reporters.
The U.N. decision and the American position in it drew indignant responses from far-right components of Israel’s authorities. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the nationwide safety minister, known as the transfer “proof that President Biden isn’t prioritizing Israel and the free world’s victory over terrorism, however moderately his personal political issues.” The decision, he mentioned in an announcement, ought to immediate Israel to accentuate moderately than reasonable its army marketing campaign.
Israel has confronted intense worldwide criticism over its conduct of the battle in retaliation for the Oct. 7 assault — a bombing marketing campaign and floor invasion which have killed some 30,000 individuals, displaced most of Gaza’s inhabitants and decreased a lot of the territory to ruins.
President Biden and different U.S. officers have change into more and more, brazenly important of the battle effort, saying that Israel ought to do extra to keep away from civilian casualties and permit extra help into Gaza — an unusually stark breach between the 2 nations.
Hamas is holding greater than 100 hostages seized through the Oct. 7 assault, and negotiations have been underway for the discharge of hostages in return for Israel releasing Palestinian inmates in its prisons. The U.N. decision requires the fast launch of hostages.
Hamas welcomed the U.N. Security Council decision in an announcement on Telegram, including that the Palestinian armed group was prepared “to instantly have interaction on a prisoner alternate course of that may result in the discharge of prisoners on either side.”
“Hamas calls upon the Security Council to stress Israel to adjust to a cease-fire and finish the battle, the genocide and ethnic cleaning in opposition to our individuals,” the group mentioned.
Eric Schmitt, David E. Sanger and Cassandra Vinograd contributed reporting.
