Washington [US], March 27: Israel has reacted strongly to the US abstaining from voting on the UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced yesterday (March 26) that their warplanes had increased airstrikes and attacked more than 60 targets in the Gaza Strip in 24 hours, mainly to support the forces. ground mobility, according to The Times of Israel .
The IDF also announced that the anti-Hamas campaign at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City continues. As of last night, there was no information about Hamas's reaction.
Israel canceled its visit to the US
The IDF made the above statement after the UN Security Council on March 25 for the first time passed a resolution calling for an "immediate ceasefire" in Gaza after the US abstained. The resolution also asked Hamas and gunmen in Gaza to release the hostages they held. Hamas welcomed the adoption of the resolution and reaffirmed its willingness to negotiate the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, according to AFP.
Meanwhile, Israel was angry that the UN Security Council passed the above resolution, canceling the visit of the delegation to Washington DC that the US side had requested to discuss concerns about Israel's plan to attack on the sea. walking into Rafah City, in southern Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the abstention showed a "retreat" from Washington's previous stance, "harming" both the war effort and Israel's efforts to free the hostages. US officials said that President Joe Biden's administration considered this an overreaction, and emphasized that there was no change in policy, according to Reuters.
The resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza was passed while Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was visiting Washington DC "We have no moral right to end the war while hostages remain held in Gaza", Mr. Gallant said after the vote. After that, Mr. Gallant had a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. During the meeting, Mr. Blinken raised Washington's opposition to the planned ground attack on Rafah, where more than 1.4 million Palestinian civilians are sheltering, according to US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
Is America increasingly disappointed with Mr. Netanyahu?
The White House's decision to abstain comes after months of largely adhering to long-standing US policy of defending Israel at the UN. The decision seems to reflect growing US frustration with the Israeli leader, according to Reuters. President Biden, running for re-election in November, faces pressure not only from US allies but also from a growing number of Democrats to restrain the military's retaliation Israel regarding the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Netanyahu faces challenges in Israel, especially demands from members of his far-right coalition for a hard line against the Palestinians. Prime Minister Netanyahu also has to convince the families of the hostages that he is doing everything to get them released while facing frequent protests calling for his resignation, according to Reuters.
Analysts say the current challenge for Biden and Netanyahu is to keep their disagreements from escalating out of control. Mr. Jon Alterman, Director of the Middle East program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington DC, said there was no reason why the US abstention would be a "fatal blow" to the relationship. US-Israel relations . "So I don't think the door is closed on anything," Mr. Alterman emphasized.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper