Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan responded to the UN Security Council's decision calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which was adopted due to the US's refusal to veto.
"The decision's implication is zero - it will have no meaning from Israel's perspective. Hamas, on the other hand, understands that it cannot militarily defeat the IDF, and its hope is that the international community will pressure us and possibly impose sanctions so that we concede and agree to a ceasefire. Therefore, this decision plays into the hands of Hamas and sabotages our efforts to free hostages and our military effort," Erdan declared.
According to him, "Even if the United States explains that, from their perspective, the decision is not binding and they link the release of hostages with the ceasefire, our enemy does not see it that way. The Palestinian ambassador has already held a press conference explaining legally why the decision is binding and how they will try to promote it. This also opens the door to many legal initiatives against us around the world and to significant damage - hence our frustration and anger."
The American decision not to veto did not surprise Erdan, due to information from the highest levels. "I wasn't surprised because I am in close contact with the American delegation to the UN and the ambassador and we talked at length the night before the decision. Eventually, she announced that the decision not to veto came from the highest levels in Washington."
"We expressed our regret, and as published, the Prime Minister made the decision regarding the cancellation of the delegation that was planned to go to Washington. A significant part of the delegation's conversations was supposed to deal with the operation in Rafah that we expect to receive backing for - because without it, it is impossible to achieve the war goals. If the US joins and does not prevent a decision whose meaning is a demand for an immediate ceasefire, it actually contradicts the whole idea of a dialogue about Rafah. If there is a ceasefire - there's no operation in Rafah," Erdan explained.
He adds that "My disappointment and frustration stem from the fact that they understand but present things from their own perspective. That from their point of view, the moment that in the same clause they call for both a ceasefire and the release of hostages, it is clear to them that these issues are intertwined. There's no such thing as 'clear' in the UN Security Council arena, with its double standards and morals. I told the Americans that it could get out of their control - but they insisted on making this mistake, and we had to express our disappointment with their decision."
He does not think it's a crisis with the US that has gotten out of control. "Any dispute between us and the United States is immediately defined by the media as 'a crisis like never before.' I disagree with that. Even when Biden took office, there were very clear public differences of opinion between us, regarding rejoining the agreement with Iran, against which we expressed opposition in every way. Disagreements should not be blurred - especially not when it comes to Israel's security. These are historic moments, our soldiers are sacrificing their lives because they understand the goal, and there's almost wall-to-wall support in the Israeli public because the public understands what we're facing and what threats we're dealing with. If at such moments the United States causes something that could harm us, it needs to be stated clearly, and not to act according to some diplomatic niceties that don't exist in reality at Israel's expense."
Erdan is already preparing for the next challenge in the current battle. "In the UN arena, there's a new challenge every week, and some pop up in a matter of moments. Another meeting of the Security Council is expected, and the Palestinians will try - along with the Arab League - to create pressure to enforce the decision and bring the Security Council to impose sanctions against Israel for not implementing the ceasefire decision. We will, of course, need the United States to veto any proposal for sanctions against Israel. I continue the battle of containment in order to continue and lend as much legitimacy as possible to the battle in Gaza until we achieve our goals."