What Happened?

  • The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has adopted a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the release of all israeli hostages.
  • The US has vetoed almost every call for a Gaza ceasefire at the UN since the war began in October, but on Monday allowed a motion for an ‘immediate ceasefire’.
  • Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu retaliated for the US abstention by canceling a scheduled trip to the US by two of his top advisers.

What is the Arab media saying?

  • The resolution calls for an immediate ceasefire for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which ends in two weeks, and also demands that Hamas free captives seized on October 7 when it led attacks on Israel. [ifpnews.com]
  • Speaking after the vote, US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield blamed Hamas for the delay in passing a ceasefire resolution, and stated that the US did not agree with everything in the resolution, which was the reason why the US abstained. [ifpnews.com]
  • Hamas welcomed the resolution and said it “affirms readiness to engage in immediate prisoner swaps on both sides”. [ifpnews.com]
  • Analysts say US decision against vetoing UN measure signals Biden’s growing frustration with Israel’s PM Netanyahu. [aljazeera.com]
  • The true test of where the US stands is whether it will grant the “wish list” of arms Israel is expected to ask for. [aljazeera.com]
  • Israel has yet to face any concrete consequences from the US for its war crimes and genocide. [aljazeera.com]
  • The Biden administration says it is working on a comprehensive solution to the broader conflict that would see the establishment of a Palestinian state, with security guarantees for Israel and the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between Israel and Arab states. [aljazeera.com]
  • Netanyahu and other right-wing members of his government have categorically rejected the two-state solution, stressing that Israel must maintain security control on the occupied Palestinian territory. [aljazeera.com]
  • An Israeli delegation was due to head to the US to discuss plans for Israel’s expected offensive in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, where around 1.5 million displaced civilians are sheltering and living off meager aid supplies. [newarab.com]
  • Foreign Minister Israel Katz declared the US decision was “a moral and ethical mistake” in an interview with Israel’s Army Radio on Tuesday. [newarab.com]
  • White House security advisor John Kirby described Netanyahu’s decision to cancel the delegation visit as “disappointing” and said the administration was “kind of perplexed by this” during a press briefing on Monday. [newarab.com]
  • Kirby said the decision to abstain “does not represent a change at all in our policy”, and that the US did so because the motion did not condemn Hamas. [newarab.com]
  • A UN-backed report found that northern Gaza was submerged in famine-like conditions, while aid agencies have warned that thousands more will die if the Rafah invasion goes ahead. [newarab.com]

What is the International media saying?

  • This change in US policy towards Israel is attributed to a combination of international pressure and domestic concerns within the United States, leading to a more nuanced stance from President Joe Biden’s administration. [timesofindia.indiatimes.com]
  • According to Ghazi Hamad, a senior official and spokesperson for Hamas, there are “clear changes” in US policy towards Israel, which he attributes to Israel’s counterproductive policies and actions. [timesofindia.indiatimes.com]
  • Israel has firmly rejected the UN resolution, with Gilad Erdan, Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN, criticizing the resolution’s effectiveness and accusing Hamas of exploiting it to continue its assaults on Israeli civilians. [timesofindia.indiatimes.com, cnn.com]
  • The US abstention reflects growing tensions between Washington and Jerusalem over how to proceed with the conflict, as the US has historically stood by Israel’s right to defend itself, but there has been increasing concern over the humanitarian impact of Israel’s military actions. [timesofindia.indiatimes.com]
  • US Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended the decision to abstain, emphasizing that any ceasefire should coincide with the release of hostages in Gaza, but also noted that the resolution did not include crucial language condemning Hamas, which prevented the US from offering its full support. [timesofindia.indiatimes.com]
  • The vote came as a shock to Israel, which saw its decades-old US ally abstain rather than veto the move, as it has consistently done over the years in its diplomatic backing of the Jewish state. [cnn.com]
  • The US says the latest resolution is non-binding, but experts differ on whether that is the case. [cnn.com]
  • The Biden administration officials have come to believe that Israel risks becoming an international pariah if the humanitarian crisis in Gaza worsens or persists for an extended period of time. [cnn.com]
  • Israel has faced intense criticism internationally, with calls from US politicians and European officials to reconsider arms sales to it in the face of the enormous civilian death toll in Gaza. [cnn.com]
  • Relations with the Biden administration have been going downhill as Israel vows to press on with a potential invasion of Rafah, where 1.4 million Palestinians are sheltering. [cnn.com]
  • The U.S. abstention was meant to send a message to Israel that U.S. support is not without conditions, and that Netanyahu needs to outline a diplomatic plan for Gaza. [newsweek.com]
  • Biden has been losing support among progressive Democrats and in some swing states like Michigan, and the current U.S. position on the war could cause him to lose the November election to former President Donald Trump. [newsweek.com]

What is the Israeli media saying?

  • Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Minister of National Security, harshly attacked US President Joe Biden, claiming that Biden prefers the line of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar over the line of Israel. [bhol.co.il, jns.org]
  • Ben-Gvir alleged that the President “constantly sought to impose restrictions on Israel and talks about the rights of the other side, which include many terrorists who want to destroy us”. [bhol.co.il, jns.org, jns.org]
  • Netanyahu’s ineffective leadership and the extremist government he has formed are pushing Israel closer to global isolation and disaster. [jpost.com]
  • Netanyahu canceled a scheduled visit to Washington by two of his most senior aides, amid growing international pressure for a halt to the fighting and a stop to Israeli plans to launch a ground assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. [jpost.com]
  • The conservative Israel Hayom newspaper,backed the decision not to send the delegation but said public support from Biden was what was needed more than anything by Israel at a time when “the legitimacy of its actions is disintegrating at frightening speed.” [jpost.com]
  • Netanyahu and his partners are doing everything to keep our loved ones away from the horrors of Hamas that have strengthened the identification of Jews all over the world with Israel. [jpost.com]
  • The Biden administration’s strategy of targeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is transparently cynical, as Netanyahu’s position on the war with Hamas is overwhelmingly supported by Israelis across the political spectrum. [jns.org]

Sources:

  • ifpnews.com
  • aljazeera.com
  • newarab.com
  • timesofindia.indiatimes.com
  • cnn.com
  • newsweek.com
  • bhol.co.il
  • jns.org
  • jpost.com
  • maariv.co.il
  • axios.com

Links:

  • https://ifpnews.com/
  • https://www.aljazeera.com/
  • https://www.newarab.com/
  • https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/
  • https://www.cnn.com/
  • https://www.newsweek.com/
  • https://www.bhol.co.il/
  • https://www.jns.org/
  • https://www.jpost.com/
  • https://www.maariv.co.il/
  • https://www.axios.com/

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