According to the website of the Times of Israel, on April 21, local time, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Oren Mamorestein said in a statement that he would summon the ambassadors of the six countries that had previously voted in the United Nations Security Council in favor of Palestine becoming a full member of the United Nations to express strong protest to these countries. The six countries are France, Japan, South Korea, Malta, Slovenia and Ecuador.
On April 18, the UN Security Council voted to admit Palestine as a full member of the UN, with 12 votes in favor, 2 abstentions, and 1 vote against the United States. In addition to the six countries mentioned by the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson, the other six countries are China, Russia, Algeria, Guyana, Mozambique, and Sierra Leone, and the Israeli Foreign Ministry also intends to protest against these countries, but did not say that it will summon the ambassadors of these countries.
There are two main reasons why the Israeli Foreign Ministry has the confidence to summon the ambassadors of the six countries: First, the United States opposes Palestine becoming a full member of the United Nations and continues to provide military assistance to Israel. On April 20, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass a $95 billion foreign aid bill, including $26 billion in aid to Israel, according to The Hill.
Second, France, Japan, and South Korea all have close ties with the United States, and Japan and South Korea are equivalent to vassals of the United States. In Israel's view, these US allies are easy targets to manipulate, so it dares to summon the ambassadors of these countries to express strong protest. Russia, China and other countries are not dependent on the United States, and Israel is not easy to handle, so the Israeli Foreign Ministry did not say that it would summon the ambassadors of these countries.
It is worth noting that, on the one hand, the United States has continued to supply arms to Israel, which has emboldened Israel more and more, but on the other hand, the United States has considered unprecedentedly wielding the "big stick of sanctions" against Israel.
On April 20, local time, the American "Axios News Network" quoted three people familiar with the matter as an exclusive report that US Secretary of State Blinken is expected to announce sanctions against the IDF Neiza Yehuda Battalion within a few days, citing the battalion's human rights violations in the West Bank, which will be the first time that the United States has sanctioned an Israeli military unit.
On the 22nd, according to the "Times of Israel", Israeli Defense Minister Gallant and wartime cabinet member Gantz spoke with US Secretary of State Blinken on the evening of the 21st local time. During the call, Gallant and Gantz asked the United States not to impose sanctions on any IDF units.
Why is the United States considering sanctioning an Israeli force on the one hand? The United States has three considerations: First, Israel's atrocities in Gaza and the West Bank are intensifying, which may provoke a strong reaction from the Arab world, which will harm US strategic interests in the Middle East.
Second: On April 17, Biden said at a campaign event that if the United States does not lead the world, who else can stand up and lead? In order to consolidate the global hegemony of the United States, Biden needs to cherish his feathers and defend the "universal values" of the United States, while Israel's atrocities against the Palestinians do not conform to "universal values"; third: The US election is approaching, and there are many voters in China who oppose Israel's atrocities in Gaza, and Biden needs to cater to the demands of voters if he wants to be re-elected. Taken together, the United States is suffering from "schizophrenia" on the issue of the Gaza conflict, always making decisions that seem contradictory.
(Text/Woo Tsai)