The German magazine Spiegel revealed reasons related to US President Joe Biden adopting a new way of dealing with Israel, especially Netanyahu. After monitoring Washington’s recent behavior in the Security Council regarding Gaza, the magazine said that American policy is witnessing a real change for the first time regarding dealing with Israel, so that it was forced Biden to deal seriously with Benjamin Netanyahu. Pointing out that the pressure on the American president has become greater than he can bear, especially since the pressure on him has also become internal, and not external as before. According to German experts,

The sight of the US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, applauding after the adoption of Resolution 2728 in the Security Council in New York is considered the beginning of a shift to a more stringent policy.

The 15 members of the UN Security Council have tried four times to reach a resolution on the Gaza war. They also failed four times: three times with a veto from the United States, and once - last Friday - with a veto from China and Russia.

On Monday, Resolution 2728 was approved. It was introduced by the ten non-permanent members of the Security Council, and demands an “immediate ceasefire,” which will initially be temporary for the duration of the holy month of Ramadan, and then will transform into a “permanent and sustainable truce.” This was made possible because four out of the five permanent members agreed this time, and the United States abstained. This is not a breakthrough, and the Gaza war will not end on its own, especially because no mechanism has been identified to implement the decision.

Nevertheless, the decision is good news, especially for the United Nations itself, whose legitimacy, in the eyes of the superpower, was now in doubt. It was unusual, but not surprising, for Security Council members to line themselves up with applause after the vote on Monday.

It was clear to observers that the Israeli government's interest in a ceasefire was questionable. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly made clear that his goal is not a ceasefire, but rather a “complete victory” over Hamas, even at the cost of a ground attack on the city of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, where more than a million people currently reside. 

Netanyahu also spoke out against Resolution 2728 and criticized the US government: its abstention gives Hamas “hope that international pressure will allow it to agree to a ceasefire, even without the release of the kidnappers.”

Immediately after the vote in New York, Netanyahu canceled a trip that two of his closest associates were scheduled to take to Washington. Not vetoing the resolution would have been a “clear retreat” by the US government from its previous position, and would harm Israel and the hostages.

John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council in Washington, disagreed, saying: “Our voting behavior does not, and I repeat, does not mean a change in our policy,” downplaying the significance of the US abstention. “Nothing has changed in our policy. nothing."

A hidden but direct message to Netanyahu

According to the German magazine, the American reassurances to Israel are incorrect, as, for the first time, Washington has proven that it is capable of achieving a turning point in the Gaza war, and this is due to the great dissatisfaction of the American administration with Israel’s actions in the war. “Israel forced the United States of America to do so.” According to expert Joan, he holds the position of head of the International Crisis Group at the United Nations, and one of the best UN experts. He continues: “Israel must now abandon United Nations support to continue its war, and it is necessary to begin serious negotiations.

It appears that US President Biden is facing increasing international pressure regarding the crisis in Palestine, which has prompted him to take more firm positions and effective mediation to escalate and achieve peace. Biden is also facing internal pressure in the United States, where he must express more balanced and responsible positions on the Palestinian crisis, especially with the growing support for Palestine from the public and politicians in the United States.

The German magazine said: “The Biden team knew that abstaining from voting, even on a resolution that included a reference to a ceasefire, would arouse Netanyahu’s anger. The explanation for this seems clear to analysts: this behavior is a hidden but direct message to Netanyahu to force him to reduce his military campaign. Washington's change in direction is clear, even if it does not question its relationship with Israel itself, but only its military plans.

The horrific images and rising numbers of casualties from Gaza have not only isolated Israel internationally. It has also increasingly damaged the reputation of the Biden government in the eyes of the world, and in the United States, where elections will be held in November. Even Biden's opponent, Donald Trump, recently attracted attention by warning that Israel must end its war, and said in an interview with an Israeli news platform: “The destruction that Israel is causing presents a very bad image to the world. “The world sees this.”

Given these images, which also seem to upset Donald Trump, abstaining from voting in the UN Security Council might seem a relatively prudent measure. Washington will undoubtedly have other means to impose its will, such as a limited arms embargo, which other US presidents have used in previous terms, including against Israel.

But this abstention is also a means of applying pressure, and it serves as a reminder that the United Nations remains a global forum through which you can send a political signal to the entire world, and this time all eyes are on the next Israeli response.