Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to cancel a delegation’s visit to the US has “perplexed” the White House. Earlier, Netanyahu canceled the delegation’s visit after the US refused to veto a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during Ramzan.
White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby addressed a press briefing on Monday and said that the UN resolution wouldn’t impact Israel. He also assured Israel that there was no change in US policy.
“We’re kind of perplexed by this. A couple of points that need to be stated and, in fact, restated. Number one, it’s a nonbinding resolution. So, there’s no impact at all on Israel and Israel’s ability to continue to go after Hamas. Number two, as I said in my opening statement, it does not represent a change at all in our policy,” said Kirby.
“It’s very consistent with everything that we’ve been saying we want to get done here. And we get to decide what our policy is. The prime minister’s office seems to be indicating through public statements that we somehow changed here. We haven’t. And we get to decide what — what our policy is. It seems like the prime minister’s office is choosing to create a perception of daylight here when they don’t need to do that. So, again, no change in our policy,” he added.
What Israel had said on UN resolution and US’ stand
Israel had criticized the US abstention during the UN resolution, saying that the White House abandoned its policy. In a statement, Netanyahu’s office called the US abstention “a clear departure from the consistent position of the United States at the Security Council since the beginning of the war.”
“The United States has abandoned its policy in the UN today.” “In light of the change in the US position, Prime Minister Netanyahu decided that the delegation will remain in Israel,” read the statement released by Netanyahu’s office.
Why the Israeli delegation was expected to visit the US
Israel has been threatening to enter the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a refugee camp where more than a million Palestinians are sheltering from the war. In the wake of the matter, an Israeli delegation was expected to visit the US to discuss the war in Gaza.
The article originally appeared on Hindustan Times.