The U.S. vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution on Wednesday that called for an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in the Middle East because it did not tie the demand for a ceasefire to the release of the hostages held by Hamas.

The resolution, led by Algeria and sponsored by all 10 non-permanent members of the UNSC, is similar to ones that the Biden administration vetoed in the past. 

The timing of this resolution — coming in the lame-duck period before President Joe Biden leaves office — led to speculation that Biden might not veto the measure, similar to President Barack Obama’s choice in December 2016 to allow a UNSC resolution calling parts of Jerusalem’s Old City “occupied Palestinian territory” to pass, as a parting shot against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Biden did not take a similar action. 

“Simply put, this resolution would’ve sent a dangerous message to Hamas: There’s no need to come back to the negotiating table,” Ambassador Robert Wood, the U.S. alternate permanent representative to the U.N., said at Wednesday’s UNSC meeting. “Hamas would’ve seen it as a vindication of its cynical strategy to hope and pray the international community forgets about the fate of more than 100 hostages from more than 20 member states who have been held for 410 days.” 

Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon told Security Council members that they “reached a new low,” and that the resolution “supports Hamas terrorism.” 

The American veto “prevented a shameful attempt by the U.N. to abandon our hostages. Thanks to the U.S. we stood up for the most important principle: There will be no cease-fire without freeing the hostages. We will continue to fight until everyone returns home,” Danon said.

In an attempt to convince the U.S. to abstain, the sponsors removed a section calling for enforcement of the resolution against Israel, among some other changes. However, they did not condition a ceasefire on the release of the hostages, agreeing only to put the two demands in the same paragraph — nor to condemn Hamas, which the U.S. demanded.

“I’ve already mentioned the failure to condemn Hamas for its Oct. 7 terrorist attack. It’s inexplicable that more than 13 months since that day, some members of this council are missing the plot, that they refuse to acknowledge it is Hamas that instigated this conflict,” Wood said. Hamas was not even mentioned in the resolution. 

The Biden administration’s veto of the measure — which received 14 votes in favor and no other votes against — suggests that Biden plans to maintain his pro-Israel bona fides in his final months in office, even with political constraints removed. 

The White House has also been lobbying senators to vote against a series of resolutions sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) seeking to block U.S. weapons sales to Israel. 

“We strongly oppose this resolution and we have made our position clear to interested senators,” a National Security Council spokesperson told Jewish Insider on Tuesday night.