Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to cancel a planned visit by an Israeli delegation to Washington after the United States failed to veto a ceasefire resolution adopted by the UN Security Council. This resolution mentions the release of hostages but does not make it a condition for the ceasefire.
On Monday, March 25, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip before the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Fourteen countries voted in favor, while the United States abstained from using its veto. The resolution was put forth by Algeria, Guyana, Malta, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Switzerland, Ecuador, Japan, and South Korea.
A statement from the Israeli prime minister's office said: "The United States has departed from its consistent position in the Security Council, which just days ago linked a ceasefire to the release of hostages. China and Russia vetoed the previous resolution partly because they supported a ceasefire without the release of hostages. Russia and China supported the current decision, along with Algeria and other countries. The US did not veto the new draft resolution calling for a ceasefire without the release of hostages. This is a clear departure from the consistent US stance in the Security Council since the start of the conflict. This harms both the Israeli war effort and the hostage rescue effort, as it gives Hamas hope that international pressure will lead to a ceasefire without releasing the hostages."
Last night, Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear that if the US abandoned its principled position, he would not send an Israeli delegation to the United States. In light of the change in the American position, Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided to call off the delegation's visit to the US.
On Friday, March 22, the vote in the UN Security Council on the draft resolution concerning the conflict in the Gaza Strip was postponed to March 25.
This draft calls for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas during the month of Ramadan, as well as the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. However, it does not make the release of hostages a mandatory condition for the ceasefire. It also emphasizes the urgent need to increase humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza.
The day before, Russia and China vetoed the US resolution on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip at the UN Security Council. Eleven out of the 15 members of the Security Council voted in favor. Besides Russia and China, Algeria opposed the document, and Guyana abstained. Russian representatives criticized the resolution as "unbalanced" and argued that it should demand a ceasefire instead of emphasizing an "urgent need."
