US allows passage of UN resolution calling for cease-fire in Gaza, prompting retaliation from Israel

The U.N. Security Council passed a resolution on Monday explicitly calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war after the U.S. declined to exercise its veto power.

Israel responded by canceling a visit this week by Israeli officials and top advisers to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, adding to the tensions between the two longtime allies amid Israel’s military operations in the Gaza strip.

The passage of the resolution, led and presented by the non-permanent members of the United Nations’ most powerful body, comes after a series of resolutions addressing the Israel-Hamas war failed because of vetoes from the United States, China and Russia because of disagreements over the phrasing of calls for a cease-fire.

The decision of the U.S. to abstain, rather than veto the resolution, is also Washington’s sharpest action to date at the United Nations against its ally. It also came ahead of an expected trip from top advisers to Netanyahu and Israeli government officials to Washington, as Israel and the U.S. find themselves at odds over a looming invasion of the southern Gazan city of Rafah.

Israeli media reported ahead of the vote that Netanyahu threatened to cancel his officials’ trip to Washington to discuss, among other things, humanitarian aid, the release of hostages and plans for protecting civilians in a planned operation in Rafah if the U.S. failed to veto the resolution. Shortly after the vote, Netanyahu’s office announced that “In light of the change in the American position, Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided that the delegation will not travel to the US.”

The resolution as passed calls for a "lasting sustainable ceasefire” — language that echoes that of a U.S. resolution proposed last week that Russia and China vetoed because they argued it was not specific enough and gave Israel too much room for interpretation. The resolution also did not include a condemnation of Hamas and did not link as strongly a cease-fire with the release of hostages — both items the U.S. had wanted.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the resolution that passed fell short of Washington’s goals, noting that “certain key edits were ignored, including our requests to add a condemnation of Hamas. And we did not agree with everything in the resolution.” Still, she observed, “we fully support some of the critical objectives in this non-binding resolution. And we believe it was important for the council to speak out and make clear that any cease-fire must come with the release of all hostages.”

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters after the vote “our vote does not, and I repeat, does not, represent a shift in our policy."

At various points before the vote, ambassadors were visibly huddling in large groups inside the U.N. Security Council hall. Envoys from Israel, Yemen and Palestine, which is recognized as an observer state at the United Nations, were also present for debate.

The resolution also faced some eleventh-hour hiccups. Shortly ahead of the vote, the language was amended to call for a "lasting sustainable ceasefire." Russia Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya called out last-minute negotiations to tone down the language, proposing an amendment to return to the original language of a "permanent sustainable ceasefire."

Still, Russia and China ultimately voted to pass the final resolution.

The breakthrough in New York is far from a sign that Russia, China and the United States are now aligned on the Israel-Hamas war. Thomas-Greenfield blasted Russia and China, saying “they have shown time and time again that they are not actually interested in advancing a durable peace through diplomatic efforts” and accusing them of “using this devastating conflict as a political cudgel to try to divide this council at a time when we need to come together.”

U.S. abstentions on resolutions about Israel are not unprecedented, but remain unusual. For decades, the U.S. consistently vetoed resolutions at the Security Council that condemned Israeli actions in Palestinian territories. But in 2016, the Obama administration abstained on a resolution declaring Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law, marking the first time

The Biden administration has also used abstentions to voice its displeasure with Israeli actions — in December, the U.S. abstained on a resolution calling on Israel to increase humanitarian aid flows to the Gaza Strip.

Matt Berg contributed to this report.