The United States passive support for a UN resolution ending hostilities in Gaza prompted a strong reaction from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, bringing the wartime relationship between the two leaders to a new low point on Monday.
A senior delegation from Israel was scheduled to visit Washington this week to discuss the threatened Israeli offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Netanyahu, however, prematurely canceled this visit in response to the United States’ abstention in a Security Council vote that demanded the release of all Palestinian militant hostages and an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
An increasing U.S. anger towards the Israeli leader appeared to be reflected in Biden’s decision to abstain at the United Nations, which followed months of largely adhering to the longstanding U.S. policy of shielding Israel at the international organization.
As he campaigns for re-election in November, the U.S. president encounters mounting pressure from a growing number of Democratic colleagues as well as America’s allies to limit the Israeli military response to Hamas’ lethal cross-border assault on October 7.
Regarding the visit’s cancellation, Netanyahu stated that the United States’ decision not to veto the resolution represented a significant reversal from its prior stance and would detrimentally affect Israel’s war efforts, as his office announced the news.