Netanyahu cancels Washington delegation after UN cease-fire vote

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday canceled a high-stakes delegation to Washington after the U.S. declined to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Netanyahu’s office issued a statement calling the U.S. abstention “a clear departure from the consistent position of the United States at the Security Council since the beginning of the war.”

“The United States has abandoned its policy in the UN today,” the statement reads. “In light of the change in the US position, Prime Minister Netanyahu decided that the delegation will remain in Israel.”

The delegation was expected to arrive in the U.S. this week to discuss the war in Gaza as Israeli forces are threatening to move into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a refugee camp where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering from the war.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said he was “disappointed” that Israel canceled the delegation.

“We’re very disappointed that they won’t be coming to Washington, D.C., to allow us to have a fulsome conversation with them about viable alternatives to going in on the ground in Rafah,” he said in a press call.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is in Washington and is still expected to meet with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Tensions have flared between the Biden administration and Israel over the war after more than 32,000 Palestinians have died.

That rift has grown over Rafah, as the administration began pushing Israel to consider alternatives to a major ground operation.

The resolution approved Monday at the U.N. calls for an immediate cease-fire during Ramadan, which runs for another two weeks.

It also calls for the release of hostages, but unlike a previous U.S.-sponsored resolution that failed last week, it does not condition a cease-fire on their release.

The statement from Netanyahu’s office says the resolution “gives Hamas hope that international pressure will allow them to get a cease-fire without freeing our hostages.”

“Prime Minister Netanyahu made it clear last night that should the US depart from its principled policy and not veto this harmful resolution, he will cancel the Israeli delegation’s visit to the United States,” it read.

The U.S. said it abstained from the resolution because it did not condemn Hamas, but did not vote against it because the broad parameters support hostage release and a humanitarian cease-fire.

Still, Kirby said the U.S. has not retreated from its position in the war.

“It talks about an immediate and sustainable cease-fire and to secure the immediate release of all the hostages, as well as alleviating the tremendous suffering of the people of civilians of Gaza,” he said of the U.N. resolution.

“Those are the same principles that we’ve been arguing now for many months.”

Updated: 2:50 p.m.