Achi news desk-
Published By: Sheen Kachroo
Last Updated: March 25, 2024, 9:39 PM IST
The UN vote hurts the war effort and the effort to free the kidnapped, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement. (Reuters)
After more than five months of war, the UN Security Council for the first time demanded an “immediate ceasefire” after the US, Israel’s ally which vetoed previous drafts, abstained
Israel said on Monday that the US’s refusal to call for a cease-fire in Gaza at the United Nations would hurt its fight against Hamas and the effort to free hostages held by the militants.
After more than five months of war, for the first time the UN Security Council demanded an “immediate ceasefire” after the US, Israel’s ally which vetoed previous drafts, abstained.
“This is a clear retreat from the consistent position of the United States in the Security Council since the beginning of the war,” said the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He added that Netanyahu canceled the planned departure of a delegation that was supposed to leave for consultations in Washington regarding future military operations in the Gaza Strip.
The UN vote “hurts the war effort and the effort to free those who are abducted”, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
“It gives Hamas hope that international pressure will allow them to accept a ceasefire without releasing our hostages.”
Netanyahu “made it clear last night that if the United States withdraws from its principled position, he will not send an Israeli delegation to the United States,” the statement noted.
“In light of the change in America’s position, Prime Minister Netanyahu decided that the delegation would not leave,” he said.
The UN resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire that would lead to a “lasting, sustainable ceasefire” and demands that Hamas and other militants be freed hostages seized in their October 7 attack that sparked the war.
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, had asked Netanyahu to send a team for consultations over Israel’s plans to launch a full-scale attack on Rafah Gaza, which Washington opposes.
International fears have grown that a ground offensive in the southernmost tip of Gaza would significantly worsen the heavy civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)
