Washington DC – Earlier this month, US Vice President Kamala Harris drew cheers when she called for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza.
But while her words appeared to reflect calls for an end to Israel's war, critics argue she stopped short of announcing a real policy shift.
Speaking in Selma, Alabama, on March 3 to commemorate the 1965 Civil Rights March, Harris called attention to the ongoing human rights crisis in Gaza, which has been the subject of relentless Israeli bombing since October. did.
“Given the immensity of the suffering in Gaza, an immediate ceasefire is necessary,” she said, adding, “at least for the next six weeks.”
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration had largely avoided calling for a ceasefire until then. Still, Palestinian rights advocates have focused on the US administration's language, stressing that while the administration's choice of words may have changed, its position has not.
Biden and his officials have long called for a pause in fighting to get Israeli prisoners out of Gaza and more aid to the region. However, they stopped short of calling for an end to Israeli military attacks.
Sandra Tamari, executive director of the Adalah Justice Project, an advocacy group, said Biden's position does not satisfy their calls for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
“As a Palestinian, I feel gaslighted every day by this regime,” Tamari told Al Jazeera. “Biden really thinks we're too stupid to see through this propaganda.”
Temporary suspension and permanent ceasefire
The U.S. government is working toward a deal that would temporarily halt fighting in exchange for the release of about 130 Israelis held captive in the Gaza Strip by Hamas and other groups. The US government also said such a suspension would increase the flow of humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian territories.
Biden's Democratic supporters point to his efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement as a rebuttal to criticism that he is not doing enough to end Israel's war in Gaza.
“it is #ceasefire now Will the choir be pressuring Hamas to enter into a ceasefire? ” U.S. Rep. Richie Torres took to social media last month to comment on a New York Times headline that described Hamas as “dashing hopes for Biden's short-term deal.”
But rights advocates are trying to emphasize the difference between the temporary ceasefire that Biden seeks and the lasting peace they seek. That's why many activists add the modifiers “permanent” and “permanent” to their calls for a ceasefire.
Beth Miller, political director of Jewish Voices for Peace Action, says Biden has only called for a pause in fighting while refusing to use U.S. influence to end Israel's wars. He said it was “unacceptable”. After all, the United States sends billions of dollars worth of aid and weapons to Israel every year.
“We are calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire to end the shelling and killing of Palestinians in Gaza. That is what we are asking for when we ask for a ceasefire,” Miller said. told Al Jazeera.
“That's the only way to prevent and stop this ongoing genocide. That's the only way to free the hostages. That's the only way to lift the siege and move forward on a path where people can actually live in peace and justice.” It's the only way to do it.”
But so far, the Biden administration has not yet called for an end to the war. Secretary of State Antony Blinken mentioned the possibility of a ceasefire in a Ramadan message on Tuesday.
“The humanitarian situation in Gaza is heartbreaking,” Blinken said in a statement.
“As we provide additional aid to Gaza, we will continue to work tirelessly to establish an immediate and lasting ceasefire of at least six weeks as part of an agreement to release the hostages.”
But earlier this year, the Biden administration proposed a different definition of a ceasefire.
White House National Security Council Press Secretary John Kirby told reporters on January 22 that all the US wants is a pause in fighting, separate from calls for a ceasefire. .
“We do not support a general ceasefire. Ceasefires are usually done in the hope that they will end the conflict and lead to concrete negotiations,” Kirby said at the time.
“It’s not a ceasefire.”
In recent weeks, Biden himself has regularly used the word ceasefire when referring to the conflict.
“My National Security Adviser says we are getting close. It's not over yet. My hope is that by next Monday there will be a ceasefire,” the US president said. He spoke while eating ice cream in New York on February 26th.
Josh Rubner, an adjunct lecturer in Georgetown University's Justice and Peace Program, said the change in rhetoric within the administration shows it is responding to popular pressure in favor of a ceasefire. But he stressed that the term itself does not imply a change in policy.
“The Biden administration is calling for a six-week pause in the fighting to rescue Israeli hostages and allow Israel to resume its genocide against Palestinians once Ramadan has passed. in the Gaza Strip,” Rubner told Al Jazeera.
“And of course it's never a truce.”
Osama Andrabi, a spokesman for the left-wing advocacy group Justice Democrats, stressed that progressives are seeking a durable ceasefire that does not allow Israel to continue “bombing and destroying Gaza” in the coming weeks.
“The cause of this ethnic cleansing and genocide is Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people. And allowing it to continue in any form is unacceptable,” he told Al Jazeera.