War in the Gaza Strip
US government rejects Netanyahu’s statement
Palestinians mourn relatives killed in the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip.
© Fatima Shbair / AP
There are serious problems in relations between Israel and its most important ally, the USA. After the scandal over a UN resolution, both sides engaged in further verbal arguments.
The US government has a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected claims that the latest UN Security Council resolution had damaged negotiations with the Islamist Hamas over the release of hostages. U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Tuesday in Washington that the statement that Hamas rejected the latest proposal in the hostage negotiations over the U.N. resolution was “inaccurate in almost every way, and it is unfair towards the hostages and their families”.
Hamas had already prepared its response to the latest negotiation proposal before the vote in the UN Security Council and not after the vote, he emphasized. In addition, the presentation of the Hamas response that is circulating in public is incorrect. Miller added that the US government would not engage in “rhetorical diversionary maneuvers” on the issue, but would continue to work towards the release of the hostages.
Decision of the World Security Council
Netanyahu’s office released a statement on Tuesday complaining that Hamas had rejected a US compromise proposal in the hostage negotiations. Netanyahu said: “Hamas’ position clearly proves that it is not interested in continuing negotiations on a deal and is sad evidence of the damage caused by the UN Security Council’s decision.”
With a resolution that is binding under international law, the UN Security Council called for an “immediate ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip on Monday for the first time since the start of the war. The UN body also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas. The USA waived its right to veto in the vote, thereby helping the resolution, which increases international pressure on Israel, to succeed. The decision came against the backdrop of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and concerns about an Israeli offensive in the town of Rafah on the border with Egypt.
“Immediate ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip
Netanyahu reacted angrily to the Americans’ voting behavior and immediately canceled a delegation’s visit to Washington that had been requested by the US government. This in turn caused irritation among the ally USA. But Miller said Tuesday that the U.S. government doesn’t make decisions “based on minor disagreements or whether or not someone canceled a meeting.” The focus is always on the national security interests of the USA and its partners in the region.