21-2-2024 (WASHINGTON) For months, US President Joe Biden has sought a “pause” in the fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. However, as Israel prepares for a potential ground offensive in Rafah, the rhetoric from the White House is shifting to emphasize the need for a “temporary ceasefire.”
While it may seem like a slight rhetorical change, it inches Biden closer to many around the world and to critics within his own Democratic Party who want a permanent ceasefire to a war that has claimed nearly 30,000 Palestinian lives.
The United States has vetoed three draft United Nations Security Council resolutions on the Israel-Hamas conflict. The most recent two vetoes blocked language demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. However, Washington has now proposed its own draft resolution enshrining the word “ceasefire.”
The draft calls for a temporary ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, linked to the release of hostages held by Hamas, and opposes a major ground offensive by its ally Israel in Rafah, according to the text seen by Reuters.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield denied any intentional shift in language, stating, “It reflects what we’ve been doing all along,” when speaking to reporters on February 20.
Until the draft proposal, Washington had avoided using the word “ceasefire” in relation to any UN action on the Israel-Hamas conflict. The new US text echoes language that Biden used publicly earlier this month about the situation.
“I’m pushing very hard now to deal with this hostage cease-fire because, as you know, I’ve been working tirelessly in this deal,” Biden told reporters at the White House on February 8, calling Israel’s response in Gaza “over the top,” his sharpest critique to date.
Eight days later, he said he had held extensive talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the topic of a ceasefire, adding, “I’ve made the case – and I feel very strongly about it – that there has to be a temporary ceasefire to get the prisoners out, to get the hostages out. And that is underway. I’m still hopeful that that can be done.”
This contrasts with his mention of a “pause” when a previous hostage deal was negotiated in November, stating, “I’d like to see the pause go on as long as prisoners kept coming out.”
US officials said Biden’s change in language has nothing to do with his critics. Instead, they say it reflects the intense efforts to negotiate a deal between Israel and Hamas to halt the fighting for six to eight weeks in exchange for the release of hostages held in Gaza and to speed the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians. The thinking within the White House is that if fighting can be stopped for that long, an even longer ceasefire could emerge. However, a planned Israeli offensive in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where more than a million Palestinians have sought refuge, would complicate efforts toward a halt in the fighting.
US officials insist that Biden is not calling for a permanent ceasefire, a reflection of his belief that Israel has the right to defend itself after Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in southern Israel on October 7.
Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a Middle East expert, said Biden’s shift in rhetoric did not reflect a major change but did reflect the administration’s concern over a potential Rafah offensive.
Biden has faced unrelenting criticism from Arab-Americans, many of whom have shown up in sizable numbers at presidential events to protest his support for Israel and demand a ceasefire. Arab-Americans in the battleground state of Michigan have vowed not to support him in the November presidential election, potentially putting a victory for him in that state in jeopardy.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One as Biden traveled to California on February 20 that the President had used the term “ceasefire” back in November. She appears to be referencing a November 1 fundraiser when a heckler demanded a ceasefire, and Biden responded, “I think we need a pause. A pause means give time to get the prisoners out.” He added, “I’m the guy that convinced Bibi to call for a ceasefire to let the prisoners out.” The White House later clarified that Biden was referring to hostages, not prisoners, held by Hamas.
Jean-Pierre said on February 20, “There’s no change in US policy, obviously. We are steadfast on that.”
US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk is traveling to the region this week for more negotiations on a hostage deal. US officials say they would like to reach a deal before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on March 10.
Talks involving intelligence chiefs from the US, Egypt, and Israel, and the Qatari Prime Minister to broker a pause in Israel’s four-month-old war in Gaza ended without a breakthrough a week ago.
“We are still over two weeks away from Ramadan,” said State Department spokesperson Matt Miller in a daily briefing. “We would like to get that humanitarian pause before Ramadan begins. We’d like to get it up before the end of the week. As I said, we’d like to get it as soon as possible.”
