WATCH: White House holds news briefing as Israel cancels delegation

WASHINGTON — White House national security spokesman John Kirby insisted the the U.S. abstaining from a U.N. resolution on Gaza cease-fire, allowing the resolution to pass, was not a change in American policy.

Watch the briefing in the player above.

“There is no reason for this to be seen as an escalation. Nothing has changed about our policy,” he said.

Kirby said the resolution called for both a cease-fire and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. “And that is, broadly speaking, in keeping with what has been our policy.”

Kirby said the U.S. was disappointed in Israel’s decision to cancel this week’s diplomatic delegation to Washington, but said the discussions with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant would likely include some of what the U.S. had hoped to discuss with the delegation on Israel’s planned ground assault on the Gaza city of Rafah.

He said he would not discuss whether the U.S. would consider withholding support if the Israelis were to proceed.

The White House was aiming to talk to the Israelis about possible alternatives to a ground invasion of Rafah, but Kirby would not get into specifics.