The Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, has claimed that a last-minute telephone call to the US President who he described as an "unparalleled friend" forced the US to abstain in all important UN vote on the ongoing siege of Gaza.
The UN call for an immediate cease fire left the US abstaining from the vote. Olmert claimed "He [Bush] gave an order to the secretary of state and she did not vote in favor of it, a resolution she cooked up, phrased, organized and maneuvered for."
He went on to claim that the change of heart was due to a call he made to George Bush minutes before the vote saying "I'm familiar with it. You can't vote in favor."