Relations between President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hit an all-time low on Monday after the United States allowed the United Nations to pass a Gaza ceasefire resolution that drew sharp criticism from the Israeli leader, Reuters and the Associated Press reported.

The UN Security Council on Monday passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and the US upset Israel by abstaining, allowing the document to pass.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s government reacted immediately by canceling a visit to Washington by a high-ranking delegation, signaling a public clash with a US ally.

In addition, the Israeli prime minister accused the US of “backtracking” from a “principled position”, pointing out that Washington had allowed the vote to take place without making the ceasefire conditional on the release of hostages held by Hamas.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the administration was “somewhat confused” by Netanyahu’s decision.

Kirby and the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. said the U.S. abstained because the resolution did not condemn Hamas, which killed more than 1,200 people in a terrorist attack in Israel in October 2023.

U.S. officials decided to hold back rather than veto the proposal “because it fairly reflects our view that a ceasefire and the release of hostages go hand in hand,” Kirby said.

The Security Council ultimately passed the resolution by 14 votes (out of 15). The resolution also called for the release of all people captured in the October 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel, but did not make it a condition for a ceasefire for the month of Ramadan, which ends in April.

Hamas welcomed the UN move but said the ceasefire must be permanent.

“This resolution must be implemented. Failure would be unforgivable,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.

Tensions between Biden and Netanyahu

The U.S. decision to stay on the Security Council comes amid rising tensions between the administrations of President Joe Biden and Netanyahu over the continuing war, high civilian casualties and limited humanitarian aid reaching Gaza.

The two countries have also clashed over Netanyahu’s rejection of the idea of ​​a Palestinian state, violence by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and the expansion of settlements in the area.

The well-known antagonism between Netanyahu and Biden, which dates back to when Biden was vice president, deepened after Biden questioned Israel’s strategy to fight Hamas.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Biden ally, suggested that Netanyahu had not acted in the best interests of his country and called on Israel to hold new elections. Biden showed approval of Schumer’s remarks, prompting a rebuke from Netanyahu.

During their visit to the US, the Israeli delegation was to present to White House officials Netanyahu’s plans for a possible ground invasion of Rafah, a city on the Egyptian border in the southern Gaza Strip where more than 1 million Palestinian civilians have sought refuge from the path of war.

Last week, Netanyahu rejected a US plea to halt the planned invasion of Rafah, vowing during a visit by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to act alone if necessary.

Blinken warned that Israel could soon face increasing international isolation, while Vice President Kamala Harris said Israel could soon face uncertain consequences if it launched a ground assault.

External and internal pressure

The US decision to remain in the Security Council came after the Biden administration had been staunchly supporting Israel for several months.

But Biden, who is running for re-election in November, faces pressure not only from US allies but also from a growing number of fellow Democrats to rein in Israel’s offensive.

Biden and Democrats fear that strong support for Israel could cost him the election.

Netanyahu faces domestic challenges of his own, not least requiring members of his far-right coalition to take a hard line against the Palestinians. He also has to convince the families of the hostages that he is doing everything for their release, facing frequent protests calling for his resignation.

The government’s decision to no longer send a delegation to Washington was welcomed by its nationalist-religious coalition partners, but quietly criticized by former centrist Defense Secretary Benny Gantz, who joined the war cabinet last year and who said the delegation should go to Washington.

The conservative newspaper Israel Hayom, which usually backs Netanyahu, welcomed the decision not to send a delegation, but said Israel needed Biden’s public support at a time when “the legitimacy of his actions is disintegrating at an alarming rate.”

Netanyahu’s position remains dependent on maintaining his coalition with far-right religious-nationalist parties, which strongly oppose any slowing of the war or any concessions to international demands for a broad political deal with the Palestinians.

US warning

The Security Council vote came after Russia and China vetoed a US-sponsored resolution on Friday that would have called for an “immediate and lasting ceasefire” in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. This resolution contained a link between the ceasefire and the release of the hostages, leaving it open to interpretation and without a time limit.

In late October, Russia and China vetoed a U.S.-proposed resolution that called for a humanitarian suspension of hostilities to deliver aid, protect civilians and stop arming Hamas. They said the resolution did not reflect global calls for a ceasefire.

The United States has vetoed three resolutions calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, the last of which was supported by the Arabs on February 20. The resolution was supported by 13 council members with one abstention, reflecting overwhelming support for the ceasefire.

The United States warned that the resolution approved on Monday could affect the ceasefire talks, raising the possibility of another veto, this time by the Americans. The USA, Egypt and Qatar are participating in the negotiations.

With Ramadan ending on April 9, the ceasefire call would only last for two weeks, although the draft says the pause in fighting should lead to a “long-term and lasting ceasefire”.

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the resolution “expresses support for ongoing diplomatic efforts,” adding that negotiators are “moving closer” to a ceasefire agreement with the release of all hostages, but not there.

She called on the council and UN members around the world to “speak out and demand unequivocally that Hamas accept the deal that is on the table.”

Under the UN Charter, Security Council resolutions are legally binding on 193 member states, although they are often violated. Israel announced that it would continue the offensive.

According to the Ministry of Health of Hamas-controlled Gaza, more than 32,000 Palestinians were killed during the hostilities. The agency does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count, but says women and children make up two-thirds of the dead.

Gaza also faces a serious humanitarian situation. Last week, a report by an international hunger watchdog warned that “famine is imminent” in northern Gaza and that an escalation of the war could put half of the territory’s 2.3 million people on the brink of starvation.