Tensions rose sharply between the United States and Israel on Monday, as Tel Aviv abruptly canceled a high-level visit to Washington after the Biden administration’s decision to permit passage of a U.N. resolution demanding an unconditional halt to fighting in Gaza.
The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by calling off this week’s planned visit by a senior delegation whom U.S. officials had invited to discuss plans for an expected operation into the southern city of Rafah. Israeli officials have described it as a necessary final step in disabling Hamas, but critics have warned that such a push would be a perilous blow to civilians trapped amid the fighting and beset by hunger and disease.
