Resolution on Gaza: Israel Cancels Delegation’s Visit to Washington DC

Tensions between Israel and the United States continue to rise following the approval on Monday, March 25, of a UN Security Council resolution for a cease-fire in Gaza. It was passed thanks to America’s “abstention” in the vote. Following the document’s approval, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a visit by his country’s high-ranking delegation to Washington DC. They planned to discuss “alternative solutions” to the invasion of southern Gaza town of Rafah, home to some 1.5 million displaced Palestinians.

The United States expressed concern over the cancelation of the Israeli delegation’s visit to Washington DC in response to the “neutral” US position during the vote. On Tuesday, March 26, Israeli newspapers devoted front pages to this unprecedented crisis between the USA and the Jewish state, which the Israeli media immediately defined as a “political crisis” (some say a tug-of-war) between Prime Minister Netanyahu and the administration of President Joe Biden.

Israel’s public is also divided. Right-wing political forces sided with the Prime Minister, who immediately declared that there would be no “truce” from the Israeli side. The opposition emphasized that Netanyahu’s policies have “put Israel in a difficult position before its main ally, the United States.”

The text of the Security Council resolution calls for “an immediate ceasefire during the holy month of Ramadan” and “immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza” after the Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel. The text also emphasized “the urgent need to increase the flow of humanitarian aid and enhance the protection of civilians throughout Gaza.” Finally, the text repeats the request to “remove all obstacles to large-scale humanitarian assistance.”

After four unsuccessful attempts, the text, supported by 14 countries (Russia, China, France, UK, Algeria, Ecuador, Guyana, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Switzerland), was adopted. The United States decided to “abstain and not exercise its veto power.”