Cowardly US Abstention in UN and Refusal to Admit Policy Shift Sparks Fierce Diplomatic Rift in Israel and Washington

The landscape of U.S.-Israel relations underwent a seismic shift following the Biden administration abstention in a critical U.N. Security Council vote, calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza without condemning Hamas and, for the first time since the outbreak of war, without conditioning a fighting pause on the release of the Israeli hostages.

The Americans abandoned linkage of the return of the hostages to the call for an end to the fighting, as if Israeli would abandon its captive citizens, held for almost six months. Hamas will not even tell Israelis how many are held, and how many alive and dead. And the UN and Red Cross demand that Israel allow visits to terrorist murderers while the hostages they took are not entitled to visits or medicine, despire repeated promises.

Hamas immediately praised the UNSC decisions and rejected an American compromises proposal, which Israel had accepted. Israel’s leadership immediately blamed the Biden regime for undermining the war effort, scuttling talks to free hostages, and thwarting ongoing humanitarian efforts.

The Biden Administration’s betrayal of Israel diverged sharply from prior instances where the U.S. used its veto power to support Israel’s interests at the U.N., and its war against the terrorists, thereby causing a ripple of uncertainty among allies about the steadfastness of U.S. backing.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby vainly attempted to mitigate concerns, stating, “Our vote does not — and I repeat that, does not — represent a shift in our policy.” However, this assertion did not align with the fact and did nothing to quell the diplomatic tensions that ensued​​, most immediately the decision by PM Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel the departure of senior officials to Washington as the express summons of the caretaken President.

Ambassador Gilad Erdan, expressing gratitude for past U.S. vetoes against similar resolutions, underscored the critical need for such condemnations of Hamas, stating, “A little light rejected a lot of darkness…A ceasefire is possible, only with the return of all the hostages and destruction of Hamas.”

In a stark rebuke of the Biden administration’s decision, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office declared, “This retreat hurts the war effort as well as the effort to free the hostages because it gives Hamas hope that international pressure will allow them to get a ceasefire without freeing our hostages,” emphasizing the perceived betrayal by the U.S.​​ and its immediately impact on the hostage negotiations. Israeli commentators wondered aloud why Hamas should compromise when the U.S. is doing the work for it.

According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, “Hamas’ stance demonstrates they’re not interested in continuing the negotiation and deal-making process. This is a regrettable testament to the damages caused by the UN Security Council decision.”

“Hamas once again rejected any compromise offer from the Americans and reiterated its extreme demands: an immediate end to the war, a complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip and leaving its governance capabilities in place to enable it to repeat the massacre of October 7, as promised.”

“Israel will not yield to Hamas’ outrageous demands and will continue to strive for all the war’s objectives: releasing all hostages, destroying Hamas’ military and ruling capabilities and ensuring Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel.”

Hamas announced Monday night to mediators that they “stick to the position and vision presented on March 14”, according to which they demand a complete withdrawal of the IDF from the Gaza Strip and a comprehensive cease-fire.

“The occupation’s response did not meet any of our basic demands and our resistance – a comprehensive cease-fire, withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the return of hostages and genuine prisoner exchanges,” the statement read.

The unfolding saga has prompted a legislative response among Republicans. Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) proposed a resolution demanding that any U.S. diplomatic initiatives or peace plans regarding the Israeli-Hamas conflict should proceed only with Israel’s full cooperation and approval. This move reflects the deep concerns within U.S. political circles over the administration’s recent actions at the U.N.​​ and the sense that the Biden Administration had made itself politically vulnerable by backstabbing an ally in wartime, undermining its efforts to vanquish Hamas and retrieve 134 hostages held in Gaza.