A US boycott of the Gaza ceasefire at the UN is creating a diplomatic crisis with Israel

After nearly six months of war in Gaza, the UN The Security Council passed a resolution this Monday calling for an immediate ceasefire during Ramadan, and demanding the release of all hostages and guarantees of humanitarian aid. The 14 votes in favor and one U.S. referendum raised tensions between Washington and Tel Aviv, which decided to cancel an Israeli delegation's trip to the ally soon after.

Israel followed through on its promise to cancel a delegation visit to the country, despite the US justifying its boycott with the fact that a request to add condemnation to Hamas had been rejected. South of the Gaza Strip. “They did not veto a new text calling for an unconditional ceasefire on the release of hostages. This is a clear retreat from its consistent position in the Security Council since the start of the war,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement released minutes after the vote.

The same note highlighted that a no-vote would “harm both the war effort and efforts to release hostages” as international pressure would give Hamas hope that it would allow it to accept a ceasefire without releasing prisoners.

After canceling the trip, White House security adviser John Kirby said the agency was “confused” and “extremely disappointed” by the decision by the Hebrew government, ruling out an opportunity for the two sides to discuss “possible alternatives.” Israeli incursions into the south of the Palestinian Territory, now home to more than a million civilians.

However, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed hope that the US could find “other ways” to warn Israel of the dangers of large-scale action in a region with severe human vulnerabilities. Hopes for an improvement in diplomatic relations are on Tuesday at a meeting at the Pentagon that will bring together Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant and his North American counterpart, Lloyd Austin.

Hamas, for its part, welcomed the resolution and said it was ready for an “immediate exchange” of prisoners with Israel, raising hopes of progress in ongoing talks in Doha, where intelligence chiefs and other officials from the United States, Egypt and Qatar are present. Trying to make a deal.