The best chance right now to improve the desperate situation in Gaza where millions of people are under bombardment while on the brink of starvation amid a U.S.-backed Israeli military operation hinges on Americas choices at the United Nations.
The U.N. Security Council will vote Tuesday on a resolution proposed by the United Arab Emirates, a close U.S. partner, on behalf of Arab and Muslim states that calls for limiting the fighting and dramatically increasing humanitarian aid for Gazans, two diplomats told HuffPost on Monday. Its a major moment for besieged Palestinians and their supporters, and for the Biden administration, which is struggling to balance its support for Israel with international criticism of the devastating offensive and deep concerns among American officials about the consequences of largely unchecked support for Israel.
If the U.S. votes to pass the resolution, that would be the strongest signal yet from the Biden administration that Israel must change its conduct to protect civilians. Historically, including under President Joe Biden, the U.S. has almost always used its influence at the U.N. to shield Israel from pressure. Alternatively, the U.S. could abstain, declining to use its veto power and allowing the resolution to pass in what would represent a major warning to Israel. Or the U.S. could veto the resolution, as it did a U.N. resolution calling for a Gaza cease-fire on Dec. 8, making America an outlier on the Security Council and among the nearly 200 members of the U.N., 153 of whom endorsed a cease-fire on Dec. 12 in a vote in the General Assembly.
The situation underscores the huge quandaries the Gaza crisis is forcing upon the U.S. office at the U.N. and its leader, veteran diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
Thomas-Greenfield and her team are deeply involved in the sensitive negotiations around the resolution, including the question of how Biden will handle it. The ambassadors office requested a delay in the vote, previously expected Monday, a foreign diplomat and a U.S. official involved in the discussions told HuffPost , which first broke the news of the postponement.
A European diplomat described U.N.-wide negotiations over the resolution as still ongoing, interpreting that as a good sign. And a Muslim diplomat and an Arab diplomat both told HuffPost they believe the U.S. is unlikely to veto the resolution. HuffPost spoke with 10 U.S. and foreign officials for this story, nearly all of whom requested anonymity to speak frankly.
Whatever decision Biden makes, Thomas-Greenfield and her staff will have to publicly defend and implement it. That reality has made their work extremely complicated since Oct. 7, when the war began after the Gaza-based militant group Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped more than 200 more. The attack prompted Israeli retaliation, which has led to the deaths of nearly 20,000 Gazans, the vast majority of them women and children, according to Gaza health officials.
Foreign policy watchers say Thomas-Greenfield and her team find themselves in an unenviable position as they suspect some in the ambassadors office would prefer a change in U.S. policy. Some critics of Bidens Gaza response hope the ambassador may be echoing views similar to theirs within the administration.
The dilemma is in some ways unique but also reflects the broader struggle of American national security officials: Biden has largely rebuffed internal and external calls for a more restrained U.S. approach to the war that prioritizes humanitarian and strategic concerns.
She was an ambassador in Africa Im sure she has a different opinion on whats happening, said Dave Harden, a former State Department official who, like Thomas-Greenfield, left roles in the U.S. government under former President Donald Trump. Thomas-Greenfield served as the U.S. ambassador to Liberia, and her highest rank before her current post was as the State Departments chief Africa official; she is deeply connected and well-respected across the continent. Most countries in Africa and the Global South generally support a cease-fire in Gaza, and multiple U.S. officials have told HuffPost they believe Bidens position on the war is reducing Americas influence internationally.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said representatives of other countries are describing a double standard in terms of the U.S. approach to Israel, given the way the U.S. has previously used the U.N. to rally opposition to Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine and highlight Moscows responsibility for war crimes there. Im sure the administration is well aware of this, Van Hollen said.
One State Department official described particular concerns at their agency about the way the situation is affecting the legacy of Thomas-Greenfield, one of the most prominent Black diplomats in the U.S. foreign services history. Black officers at the State Department are saying this reminds them of Colin Powell and how they threw him under the bus to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq at the U.N., the official said, referring to Americas first Black secretary of state.
Youre just instrumentalized by the policy. Its not her personal view, and knowing her, I think probably she would have abstained [from this months veto] if she could, the official continued. When she retires, shell probably write a memoir and explain it wasnt her personal position. Based on her background and professional reputation, its not consistent with what we would expect from her best professional advice.
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