US abstention from UN ceasefire vote enrages Netanyahu

The U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution on Monday demanding a direct ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas after the United States abstained, prompting Israel to cancel a high-level delegation’s visit to Washington.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned before the vote that the delegation’s visit can be canceled if Washington didn’t veto the proposal. The US holdout signals a deepening divide between the White House and Israel’s current government, essentially the most right-wing in history, almost six months after the war with Hamas began within the Gaza Strip. According to the Gaza Strip Ministry of Health, the Hamas-led Israeli offensive on the Gaza enclave in response to the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks has killed tens of 1000’s of individuals.

“This is a clear departure from the United States’ consistent position on the Security Council since the beginning of this war,” a press release from Netanyahu’s office said, adding that “this withdrawal harms both the war effort and efforts to release the abductees. “

The United States denied that abstaining from the vote meant a change in its policy. Some observers see it differently.

“This is a breakthrough. An abstention by a permanent member of the UN Security Council is a yes vote because it means he is not using his veto and is essentially agreeing with the text, even if he doesn’t want to say so,” senior staffer Hussein Ibish told CNBC researcher at the Institute of the Arab States of the Persian Gulf in Washington.

“Refusing to protect Israel from a resolution it ardently opposes by not having a veto is extraordinary.”

The first resolution of its kind for the reason that starting of the war called for a direct cessation of hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas for 2 weeks, breaking a five-month stalemate during which the United States vetoed three U.N. calls for a cessation of fighting. The motion also called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas within the Gaza Strip.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the rationale Washington didn’t approve the measure was its failure to sentence the Hamas terrorist attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and left about 240 more people hostage.

However, Miller added: “The reason we did not veto this resolution was because there were also elements in this resolution consistent with our long-term position, and most importantly, that there should be a ceasefire and the release of the hostages, by which we also meant the government’s position Israel. So it is somewhat surprising and unfortunate that they apparently do not intend to attend these meetings.

The move follows condemnation of Netanyahu by a number of US lawmakers – most notably: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish member of Congress, known for his steadfast support of the Israeli government over the years.

“In this case, abstention is a very strong signal to Israel that the United States is losing patience,” Ibish said.

The canceled visit by an Israeli delegation to Washington was intended to discuss Israel’s planned military operation in Rafah, the southernmost corner of Gaza, where more than a million displaced Palestinians are sheltering and where Israel says most of the remaining Hamas fighters are.

The Biden administration has warned against the Rafah operation, already frustrated by Israel’s obstruction of aid deliveries to the besieged belt. Earlier this year, the UN warned that half a million Palestinians were at risk of starvation.

For former Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, the rift between the two longtime allies poses a serious threat to Israel’s security – and Netanyahu is to blame.

Asked by CNBC’s Dan Murphy if the United States and Israel are currently at a turning point in the war, Ben-Ami said:

“I think definitely yes. It’s a crisis [and] “The Americans are sending a powerful message that they disagree with the way in which Israel is conducting the war and that they consider that is the moment to maneuver to a political process.”

He added: “The whole attitude of confronting the Americans instead of serving their interests, which are actually Israel’s interests, works against the security of the nation. Netanyahu became a threat to Israel’s security by waging war from day one. With it: domestic political considerations are more important [important] than serving Israel’s strategic interests.”

“America is fed up with this war,” the previous minister said, “especially fed up with Netanyahu, who is not behaving like a loyal ally, devoid of gratitude for America’s political and military assistance in this war.”

CNBC reached out to the Israeli prime minister’s office for comment.