Yesterday the United States abstained from a vote on a new UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease fire in Gaza and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from the territory. A well informed source tells THE WEEKLY STANDARD that Vice President Cheney had urged a veto of the resolution, while Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice argued the United States should support the resolution. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley suggested a compromise — abstention — that was ultimately supported by the President.
