On March 25, 2024, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution [3] demanding a mandatory ceasefire in Gaza. Fourteen countries voted in favor of the resolution; the United States abstained from the vote. 

This is the first resolution demanding a ceasefire to pass at the Council after four previous failures, including the most recent in which China and Russia vetoed a U.S. [4] proposal last week. Previous to this resolution, the U.S. vetoed three draft resolutions concerning the Gaza conflict and abstained twice, enabling the adoption of resolutions supporting aid to Gaza and urging prolonged cessation of hostilities.

The United State’s Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, stated [5] that the “abstention reaffirms the U.S. position that a ceasefire of any duration comes as part of an agreement to release hostages in Gaza,” a provision that was added to the resolution in the days preceding the vote. He also clarified that the U.S. could not support the final text of the resolution as it did not contain language condemning Hamas. 

The abstention has created tensions between the United States and its ally Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called off a scheduled visit [6] by his senior advisers to the White House later this week in protest of the U.S. decision not to veto the resolution.