US abstention from UN resolution on ceasefire in Gaza reveals deep tension between Biden and Netanyahu | Sandra Cohen’s blog

Cons. UN Security Council calls for ceasefire in Gaza

The American government’s decision to do not veto the resolution of the UN Security Council demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza demonstrated the size of President Joe Biden’s irritation with the Prime Minister of IsraelBenjamin Netanyahu.

The US abstention on the approved resolution exposed deep fissures in relations between the two countries and, mainly, between their governments.

Relations between Biden and Netanyahu have soured for a long time. More specifically when the prime minister assumed his sixth term, in December 2022, supported by an extreme right-wing coalition.

With a parliamentary majority, he tried to shove a judicial reform down Israelis’ throats that would benefit him in the processes in which he is judged and gave approval for the construction of more settlements in the West Bank.

After the Hamas massacre in Israeli territory in October, Biden gave unconditional support to the country and the right to defend itself.

Israel’s disproportionate reaction on Palestinian soil has put the American president in an uncomfortable situation, especially with his Democratic base, which is pressuring him for a firmer position to demand an end to the fighting in Gaza.

Half of Americans think Israel has gone too far in its handling of the conflict, according to a February survey by the Associated Press. The American population is divided regarding military aid to Israel and supports sending humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.

In an election year, the American president has been trying to balance between the attacks of the Israeli prime minister’s extremist coalition and the demands of the progressive wing of his party and the country’s Arab community.

Still, he maintained the diplomatic shield over Israel in the Security Council, with three vetoes in resolutions voted in October, December and February.

In recent weeks, tension between Biden and Netanyahu has escalated to unknown levels. Both showed clear differences over the ground incursion into the city of Rafah, in the south of Gaza, which the Israeli prime minister insists on going ahead, under the argument that Hamas’ last stronghold is concentrated there. Biden warned Netanyahu that the US disagrees with the operation.

Vice President Kamala Harris expressed dissatisfaction, warning, on Sunday, about the errors and consequences of this incursion: “I looked at the maps, I studied the maps, the Palestinians have nowhere to go.”

The following day, the abstention in the Security Council expressed the extent of wear and tear between the two allies. Netanyahu did not let it go. He closed the dialogue, canceling the trip of a high-level delegation to Washington precisely to discuss the operation in Rafah.

The prime minister believes in his ability to reject pressure, even from his best allies, to defend the country’s interests, as noted by journalist David Horovitz, editor of the “Times of Israel”: “He may believe that this makes him appear strong and thus , will help rescue its popularity, destroyed by the failure to prevent the terrible invasion of southern Israel by Hamas.”

Weakened internally, isolated internationally and seen as a pariah, Israel’s prime minister is in no position to disregard his main ally and provider of military aid to dismantle Hamas. Netanyahu depends more on Biden than trying to convince his voters otherwise.