US-Israel rift widens after UN cease-fire resolution
The U.S. declined to veto a U.N. resolution calling for a two-week "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza
What happened
The U.S. on Monday declined to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a two-week "immediate cease-fire" in Gaza, "leading to a lasting sustainable cease-fire, and also the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages." After the resolution passed 14-0, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sharply criticized the Biden administration for abstaining and called off a high-level delegation set to meet with White House officials on U.S. alternatives to a full invasion of Rafah.
Who said what
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said calling for a cease-fire and hostage release is not a "shift in our policy" and the Biden team is "kind of perplexed" that the Israelis are "choosing to create a perception of daylight here when they don't need to do that."
The commentary
The White House views this "public rift with Israel" as an "artificial crisis" Netanyahu "manufactured" for "domestic political reasons," Barak Ravid said at Axios. President Joe Biden "did everything he could for months to avoid a big public fight," even after Netanyahu publicly dismissed his humanitarian concerns, former State Department official Frank Lowenstein said to The Washington Post. Now we have this "very serious shift" in how Biden will "manage the Israelis throughout the rest of the war," and they will either "pay attention now" or watch relations deteriorate.
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What next?
U.N. Secretary General António Guterres said failure to implement his resolution "would be unforgivable." Israeli officials said they won't cease firing.
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