The United States, Israel's most important ally, also vetoed ceasefire proposals submitted to the United Nations, but unexpectedly abstained from voting on Monday. Thus, 14 members of the United Nations Security Council accepted this proposal. The proposal calls on Israel to declare a ceasefire in Gaza throughout the month of Ramadan, and calls on Hamas to release all hostages kidnapped in October. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that it would be “unforgivable” if the two parties did not implement the content of the resolution.
Regardless, Israel indicated that it would not abide by the resolution. There will be no ceasefire. Israel's ambassador to the United Nations said: The decision hinders efforts to free the hostages. However, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority welcomed the UN decision.
Because of the American move, a fault line emerged between Washington and Jerusalem: The Israeli government canceled a scheduled visit to the United States. The aim of the visit was to agree between Israel and the United States on the possibility of launching an attack against the Jewish state of Rafah without the military operation ending in a bloodbath.
According to what US officials told CNN Israel “overreacted” to the situation.
Cover image source: Getty Images
