With the UN Security Council ceasefire, Israel is exposed and isolated

April 3, 2024

DHAKA – After months of relentless slaughter of Palestinians—in the worst genocide we have seen in recent history—the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution was issued demanding an immediate ceasefire without linking this to any other matter, such as the release of Israeli detainees. This resolution, which bears the number 2728, is a positive development on the US position in particular, as they prevented the issuance of a ceasefire resolution from the UNSC since the beginning of the war in Gaza using the veto. Today, the US position has changed, as it abstained from voting and spoke openly about the resolution being consistent with that of the Biden administration. They did make it clear why Washington did not vote in favour of the affirmative resolution—because it does not provide for “condemnation of Hamas.” Despite some gaps in the resolution, such as providing for a ceasefire in Ramadan, it marks the beginning of a serious shift in the international position.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was angered by Washington’s abstention, which shows that he is aware of the dimensions of this international shift against him. He described the US decision to abstain as “a retreat in the position of the United States,” affecting military operations and influencing efforts to release the detainees, according to Netanyahu’s office, which led to the decision not to send senior Israeli delegation to Washington, DC to discuss the subject of ground operation in Rafah, which would have been at the request of President Biden.

Netanyahu’s stance and reaction to the US administration surprised many and was met with a lot of criticism in both Israel and the US. Some Israeli opposition leaders have