The Office of the Prime Minister of Israel announced that Benjamin Netanyahu has called off a planned visit by an Israeli delegation to Washington. This decision comes in response to the United States’ abstention from voting on the Gaza ceasefire resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council.
Immediately after the United Nations Security Council resolution passed, Israel cancelled the visit of a delegation to Washington, which the United States had requested to discuss concerns over a mooted Israeli invasion of Rafah, in crowded southern Gaza.
Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office stated that Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled an Israeli delegation’s scheduled visit to Washington after the US abstained from voting on the Gaza ceasefire resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council.
Prior to the meeting, Netanyahu had threatened that if the US doesn’t veto the UNSC resolution, he will be canceling his country’s delegation visits to the White House meetings, as reported by Israeli media.
Israel said the US abstention “hurts” both its war effort and efforts to release hostages.
While diplomatic attention turned to New York, fighting continued across the Gaza Strip, with Israeli forces battling Hamas militants around at least two major hospitals.
The White House expressed disappointment towards Israel’s decision not to send a delegation to Washington for discussions on operations in Rafah.
“We’re very disappointed that they won’t be coming to Washington, DC to allow us to have a fulsome conversation with them about viable alternatives to going in on the ground in Rafah,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told journalists.
Kirby also stated that Washington’s abstention from voting on the Security Council resolution “does not represent a shift in our policy,” clarifying, “We did not vote in favor of the resolution, and we abstained because the final wording does not include condemnation of Hamas.”
“We’ve been consistent in our support (for) a ceasefire as part of a hostage deal,” he said, referring to efforts to free the roughly 130 people who are still believed to be held in Gaza after they were seized in a shock Hamas attack in October.
Kirby added, “If the Israelis decide not to come to Washington because of the Security Council vote, we will continue to communicate with them to convey our views.”
‘No Moral Right to Stop War’
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated from Washington that Israel will not end its war against Hamas until militants free hostages.”We have no moral right to stop the war while there are still hostages held in Gaza. The lack of a decisive victory in Gaza may bring us closer to a war in the North,” Gallant said ahead of meetings with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Foreign Affairs Minister Israel Katz wrote in a post on X, following the passing of the resolution, “The State of Israel will not shut off the fire. We will destroy Hamas and continue to fight until the last of the hostages returns home.”
The Israeli Ambassador to the UN blasted the Security Council for adopting a resolution that doesn’t condition a ceasefire on the release of the hostages. Gilad Erdan said that the council’s failure to condition a ceasefire on the hostages’ release “not only isn’t helpful, but it undermines the effort to secure their release. It is harmful to these efforts because it gives Hamas terrorists hope to get a ceasefire without releasing the hostages.”
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