In a significant reversal, the Biden administration took place

Monday

allowed the adoption of a UN resolution

Monday

Demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza is the world body’s first call in a more than five-month conflict that has claimed thousands of lives.

The US decision to abstain rather than veto was the strongest evidence yet of Washington’s growing impatience with Israel’s behavior.

duringof

the war, as the relations between the

two countries allies

have started to sour. It is almost unheard of for the US to fail to side with Israel at the United Nations.

However

So

It remained unclear whether, and how quickly, Israel or the militant group Hamas would feel obliged to lay down their arms.

Ahead of the 14-0 vote at UN headquarters in New York, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to cancel the visit of an official Israeli delegation to Washington if the US did not veto the measure. Minutes after the vote

by the Security Council,

Netanyahu made good on the threat by canceling the trip

say to explain that

any ceasefire must be conditional on the release of the hostages that have been seized

the

Hamas

militant group

in his Oct. 7 attacks on Israel.

The resolution

calls for demands

a cessation of fighting for the approximately two weeks remaining in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan

asks for

the release of hostages, without the two being directly linked

demands.problems.

Netanyahu accused the

Biden

the policy of backing away from its “principled positions” on hostages. The high level

Israeli

delegation would deliver to American officials

huna

plan for

Israel is highly anticipated

invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

The US has denounced such a military operation as a mistake because of the more than 1 million Palestinians crowding the defeated city seeking shelter, and has urged Israel to take concrete steps to prevent civilian casualties. Israeli officials insist that their defeat of Hamas will not be complete without a major offensive in Rafah.

Privately, U.S. officials have complained that Israel has hesitated in coming up with an acceptable Rafah plan

she

remained skeptical of such a plan on Monday

Actually

drawn up.

The cancellation of the delegation’s trip was seen as a missed opportunity. The White House said it was disappointed that the delegation’s trip was canceled.

“We are very disappointed that they will not come to Washington DC for us to have an in-depth conversation with them about viable alternatives to their intervention in Rafah,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said. .

Kirby suggested that the US might have voted in favor of the UN resolution, rather than simply abstaining, if it had included language condemning Hamas.

On Friday, a similar US Security Council resolution condemning Hamas was vetoed

colleague

permanent members China and Russia, underscoring the US powerlessness in resolving the Gaza war. At the same time, America’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, essentially came up empty-handed in tough talks with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials during his sixth trip to Israel since October 1. 7.

Despite the somewhat ambiguous wording of the new resolution and the behind-the-scenes negotiations over the language that continued until the last minute, the measure was

remade kept making

The release of hostages is a priority and an integral part of the ceasefire, Blinken said. The US has not changed its position, he said.

But the Biden administration has felt pressure for weeks to distance itself from the growing carnage in the coastal enclave of the Gaza Strip.

Since October, the United States has found itself increasingly isolated on the world stage due to its seemingly unconditional support for Israel. 7. Even close allies like Canada and parts of Europe were far ahead of the US in demanding a ceasefire, which Israel opposed, claiming that suspending the war would allow Hamas to regroup.

Three previous UN resolutions calling for a cessation of hostilities in Gaza were vetoed by the US, despite overwhelming support from other countries.

Netanyahu has vowed to completely destroy Hamas as the only way to guarantee the long-term security of Israelis, but many experts believe this is an unattainable goal.

In addition to international opposition, the Biden administration has faced intense domestic dissent, especially among parts of the Democratic Party.

traditional voting

basis of

Arab Americans,

people of color, young voters

and Arab Americans

who have shown increased support for the Palestinians and their long-standing quest for statehood.

Biden and other US officials have been peppered with protest chants of “Ceasefire now!” at numerous public appearances. In a key swing state, Michigan, nearly a fifth of voters turned out in the Democratic primaries

earlier

this month their ballots marked “not recorded” instead of Biden or another candidate’s name.

However, within the US political right wing, critics saw an ‘abandonment’ of Israel.

“Instead of standing shoulder to shoulder with our great ally, the Biden administration has undermined Israel and emboldened Hamas terrorists at every opportunity,” Sen. Tim Scott (R-N.C.) said on social media.

Ramadan ends

around approximately

April 9, meaning the ceasefire would take place

only

the last two weeks. But the resolution states that the pause must lead to a permanent sustainable ceasefire.

Palestinians and other Arab leaders welcome

the

Approval of the resolution, although it was unclear how quickly and thoroughly a ceasefire could be established and maintained. a

and a

Another important reason for the cessation of fighting is to facilitate the delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid

staff

Unpleasant

a

people on the brink of famine

according to aid organizations

.

The Hamas leadership said it was willing to participate in a hostage exchange

the militant group Hamas

applies to Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons for which the template was followed

the only previous one

search

a

released late last year. Hamas also called on the Security Council to pressure Israel to “stop the genocide war” and withdraw all troops

Gaza.the enclave on the coast of the Gaza Strip.

Algeria, which helped draft the resolution as a member of the Arab bloc on the Security Council, said the group was finally assuming its responsibility “to maintain international peace and security.”

“The Palestinian people have suffered enormously,” Algeria’s ambassador to the UN, Amar Bendjama, said after the vote. “This massacre has gone on for far too long.”

Israel says about 1,200 people were killed in October. 7 Hamas-led attacks on kibbutzim, a busy music festival and other locations in southern Israel, and

of

about 200

people

held hostage. More than 32,000 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza in brutal Israeli airstrikes and military operations, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. About two-thirds of the deaths have occurred

identified as

women and children, the ministry says.

In addition, international aid organizations warned on March 18 that famine was looming in northern Gaza

protraction of the lake

A war could push half of the area’s 2.3 million residents to the brink of starvation.

As Gaza residents suffer months of brutal bombing, displacement and…

now

hunger, the

passage of the

solution

‘s over

brings high and perhaps unrealistic expectations, says Ramy Abdu, a Gaza-based lawyer who chairs Geneva-based Euro-Med

Italian

Human rights monitor.

“There is optimism on the ground because Hamas has welcomed the resolution, and this has given Palestinians hope that there are genuine intentions to reach a ceasefire,” he said. “The painful thing is that people’s expectations are very high, to the point that many are wondering at what hour a ceasefire will come into effect.”

Wilkinson reported from Washington and Bulos from Beirut. Staff Writer Seema Mehta contributed from Los Angeles.