I don't claim much expertise or authority on the Gaza Issue. I have commented on a few diaries.
Why did Condoleezza Rice, representing the US, abstain, when the fourteen other Security Council members (all of them) voted yes? Call me confused. Does the US know something the other SC members don't know? If so, what might that possibly be?
From ABC News.com
"Passing the resolution is no guarantee the fighting will stop. But for the first time since the crisis started, the United States and Arab states that communicate with Hamas have agreed on terms for a cease-fire -- though officially U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice abstained from the 14-0 vote.
The resolution called for an immediate truce, the reopening of Gaza's borders and international guarantees Hamas will not be able to smuggle weapons in tunnels under the Egypt-Gaza border."
The italics are mine.
U.N. Approves Gaza Cease-Fire Plan
Wikipedia lists the following as current elected members of the UN Security Council:
Burkina Faso
Costa Rica
Croatia
Libya
Vietnam
Austria
Japan
Mexico
Turkey
Uganda
along with the permanent members:
United States
China
Russia
France
United Kingdom.
United Nations Security Council
UPDATE Correction, missing information:
Sloppy on my part not to have included the following paragraph where Rice "explains" her reason for abstaining:
"She said she abstained from voting because the United States first wanted to see the outcome of ongoing mediation efforts in Cairo, Egypt, but she stressed the United States supports the text and goals of the U.N. resolution."
I'm not yet sure her reason makes sense, however. If anything this might indicate indecisiveness on the part of the US, but again, that's a complete guess on my part.
UPDATE 2: The following seems to be the answer to my question, surprising as it is:
JERUSALEM (AFP) – US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was left shame-faced after President George W. Bush ordered her to abstain in a key UN vote on the Gaza war, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Monday.
"She was left shamed. A resolution that she prepared and arranged, and in the end she did not vote in favour," Olmert said in a speech in the southern town of Ashkelon.
later in the article...
"In the night between Thursday and Friday, when the secretary of state wanted to lead the vote on a ceasefire at the Security Council, we did not want her to vote in favour," Olmert said
"I said 'get me President Bush on the phone'. They said he was in the middle of giving a speech in Philadelphia. I said I didn't care. 'I need to talk to him now'. He got off the podium and spoke to me.
Rice shame-faced by Bush over UN Gaza vote: Olmert
This story seem plausible if surprising. Is it true? I suppose there likely was exaggeration by Olmert for political effect.