Netanyahu CANCELS Israeli diplomatic trip to Washington after US refuses to veto United Nations resolution calling for ceasefire in Gaza during Ramadan

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that he is canceling a planned delegation visit to Washington after the United States refused to veto a UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza .

Minutes before the resolution passed by a vote of 14 to zero, Netanyahu told Israeli news media that the visit would not take place if Washington did not veto it.

“In light of the change in the US position, Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided that the delegation would not leave,” his office said after the vote, calling the decision a “clear retreat” from his previous position.

The standoff is the latest twist in diplomatic efforts to ease the suffering of Palestinian civilians caught in fighting and secure the release of hostages held by Hamas.

And it highlights how the US relationship is crumbling amid the bloodshed in Gaza.

The resolution passed 14-0 after the United Nations decided to abstain

U.S. officials have repeatedly said they are concerned about Israel’s plans to launch a major ground offensive in Rafah, where about half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents have found refuge.

The UN Security Council voted on Monday morning on a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the month of Ramadan, as well as the immediate release of all hostages.

With Ramadan ending next month, this means the ceasefire would last just two weeks.

“If the US does not veto a resolution for a ceasefire that is not conditional on the release of hostages, I will cancel the delegation’s departure to Washington,” Netanyahu said earlier, according to Ynet News.

His objection was that while the resolution called for a ceasefire and the release of hostages, it did not clearly make one conditional on the other.

His National Security Council chief Tzachi Hanegbi and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer were expected to lead the delegation.

And they had to present plans for the Rafah offensive, along with outlines of how they would protect civilians.

Washington vetoed previous resolutions demanding a ceasefire.

But international pressure is growing to end the Israeli bombardment that has killed 32,000 Palestinians since Hamas’ terrorist attack on October 7.

Palestinians, including children, examine the rubble and collect remaining belongings from a badly damaged building in Rafah, as Israeli attacks on Gaza continue

An injured Palestinian boy stands next to the rubble of his home that was destroyed by an Israeli bombardment of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday, March 25, 2024. Thirty-one Palestinians, most of them children and women, were killed

President Joe Biden has made much of his close relationship with Netanyahu, but it has become even more fraught as the death toll in Gaza soared.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the decision to cancel the planned trip was “very disappointing.”

But he added that Monday’s abstention did not represent a change in policy.

‘The reason we abstained from voting is because this resolution text did not condemn Hamas. and we truly believe that Hamas must be condemned for what they did on October 7,” he told reporters.

He said U.S. officials still expected to hold separate talks with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on hostages, humanitarian aid and the protection of civilians in Rafah.

His office said he would emphasize the importance of destroying Hamas and returning the hostages during a meeting with National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

“We will act against Hamas everywhere – including places we have not yet been,” he said.

“We will identify an alternative to Hamas so that the IDF can complete its mission.”