During a pivotal United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, held at the UN headquarters in New York on March 25, 2024, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the United Nations, cast an abstention vote. This vote was in response to a resolution advocating for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. This abstention by the United States led to a significant diplomatic fallout, prompting Israel to cancel a high-level delegation’s planned visit to Washington.
Before the vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had issued a warning that the delegation’s visit would be canceled if the United States failed to veto the resolution. The abstention by the U.S. is indicative of a growing rift between the White House and Israel’s most right-wing government in history, amidst its ongoing six-month conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The conflict, a response to the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of individuals.
Netanyahu’s office released a statement criticizing the U.S. abstention as a departure from its previously unwavering stance in the Security Council since the war’s inception, stating that this move undermines both the war effort and the efforts to secure the release of hostages.
Observers have varied interpretations of the U.S. abstention. Hussein Ibish, a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington, views it as a significant breakthrough, interpreting the abstention as a tacit agreement with the resolution’s content, given the absence of a U.S. veto.
This resolution, the first of its kind since the war began, called for a two-week halt in hostilities between Israel and Hamas, ending a five-month deadlock during which the U.S. vetoed three U.N. calls for a ceasefire. The resolution also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Matthew Miller, a State Department Spokesman, explained that the U.S. chose not to approve the measure due to its failure to condemn the Hamas terror attack. However, the resolution’s call for a ceasefire and the release of hostages aligned with the U.S.’s long-standing position, as well as the Israeli government’s stance, making the U.S.’s decision not to veto it somewhat surprising and regrettable.
The abstention has drawn criticism from several U.S. lawmakers, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has historically been a staunch supporter of Israel’s government. This move is seen as a clear message to Israel that the United States is growing impatient.
The cancelled visit by the Israeli delegation to Washington was intended to discuss a planned military operation in Rafah, a region in the southernmost part of Gaza, home to over a million displaced Palestinians and a significant number of Hamas fighters. The Biden administration has expressed frustration over Israel’s obstruction of aid deliveries to the besieged area, with the U.N. warning at the beginning of the year that half a million Palestinians were at risk of famine.
Former Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Avi has voiced concerns over the deteriorating relationship between the two longstanding allies, attributing the tension to Netanyahu’s approach to the war. Ben Avi emphasizes that the current crisis signals a turning point, with the U.S. expressing disagreement with Israel’s conduct of the war and advocating for a shift towards a political process. He criticizes Netanyahu’s prioritization of political and domestic considerations over Israel’s strategic interests, suggesting that such actions compromise the nation’s security and strain its relationship with a key ally.
The unfolding events underscore a critical juncture in the relationship between the United States and Israel, with significant implications for the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.