NEW YORK: The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) adopted a resolution on Monday (25 March) calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The United States (US) abstained from the vote, which sparked tensions with its ally Israel.
The 14 members of the Security Council outside the US supported the resolution proposed by the 10 elected members of the Security Council.
The resolution also demanded the immediate and unconditional release of all war hostages.
Applause was heard in the Security Council chamber after the vote.
“This resolution must be implemented. Failure will be unforgivable,” UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres wrote on social media.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the US failure to veto the resolution was a “clear change” from the previous US position.
According to him, this decision is detrimental to Israel’s war efforts as well as the release of more than 130 Israeli hostages who are still being held by Hamas.
“This decision does not, and I repeat does not represent a change in our policy,” said White House spokesman John Kirby.
“Nothing has changed about our policies. Nothing.”
After the resolution was adopted, Netanyahu canceled a visit to Washington by a high-level delegation that was originally scheduled to discuss plans for an Israeli military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where some 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge.
The US itself is confused by Israel’s decision and considers it an overreaction, said a US official who declined to be named.
Washington was initially reluctant to use the word ceasefire in the war that has been going on for almost six months in the Gaza Strip.
The superpower has used its veto power to protect Israel from retaliating against an Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that Israel says killed 1,200 of its citizens.
But with famine threatening in Gaza and amid mounting global pressure for a ceasefire, the US decided to abstain to give way to the Security Council demanding an immediate ceasefire in the holy month of Ramadan, which ends in two weeks.
“It was Hamas who started this war,” said Israel’s UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan.
“The resolution just adopted makes it appear as if the war started by itself… Israel did not start this war, nor does Israel want this war.” said Erdan.
Hamas welcomed the Security Council resolution, saying it confirmed readiness for an immediate prisoner exchange on both sides.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said countries should pressure Israel to stop attacks on Lebanon.
The Israeli military and the Lebanese armed group, Hezbollah, are currently involved in a firefight on Lebanon’s southern border.
Hezbollah has not commented on the UN resolution.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the US fully supports “some of the important objectives in this non-binding resolution”, but added Washington does not agree with everything in the resolution, which does not condemn Hamas.
“We believe it is important for the council to speak out and make clear that any ceasefire must come with the release of all hostages,” Thomas-Greenfield said.
“A ceasefire can begin immediately with the release of the first hostages, therefore we must put pressure on Hamas to do so.”
China’s UN Ambassador Zhang Jun said the Security Council resolution was binding law.
“For millions of people in Gaza, caught in an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, this resolution – if fully and effectively implemented – could still bring long-awaited hope,” he told the council.
UN Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq said Security Council resolutions were binding international law.
However, ultimately if there is no ceasefire in Gaza, the Security Council is not expected to take further action.
