Benjamin Netanyahu cancels Israeli delegation to US over UN Gaza vote

Israeli PM said US failure to veto Security Council ceasefire proposal was ‘clear retreat’ from previous position and would harm war efforts against Hamas

White House said the US was disappointed over Israeli decision but ‘nothing has changed’ about view that ground offensive in Rafah would be a mistake’

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo: Pool via Reuters

Published: 1:23am, 26 Mar 2024Updated: 4:19am, 26 Mar 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he will not send a delegation as planned to Washington after the United States refrained from vetoing a UN Security Council proposal calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Netanyahu, according to a statement from his office, said Washington’s failure to block the proposal was a “clear retreat” from its previous position, and would hurt war efforts against Hamas, as well as efforts to release more than 130 hostages in Gaza captivity.

“In light of the change in the American position, Prime Minister Netanyahu decided the delegation would not leave,” his office said.

The UN Security Council voted to demand an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. The United States abstained from the vote.

Ambassadors, except for US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, second left, raise their hands to vote in favour of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, during a UN Security Council meeting in New York on Monday. Photo: EPA-EFE

The White House denied that the US abstention reflected a change in American policy.