US-Israel rift widens after UN cease-fire resolution

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.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

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.