US rights advocates hopeful, vigilant over Gaza ceasefire

With this week’s news of a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian armed factions in Gaza over the coming days, human rights advocates have expressed joy with vigilance over what could come with the new US presidential administration.

Days before Donald Trump‘s presidential inauguration, followed by months of promises that he would strike a hostage deal, the expectedly-timed ceasefire was announced. It is both a cause for cautious celebration and concern over the future for Palestinians and their allies, as Israeli airstrikes on Gaza continue, killing more than 100 Palestinians since the announcement.

“We welcome this long overdue ceasefire deal, which President Biden should have forced Netanyahu to accept over a year ago instead of needlessly funding so much death and destruction,” said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, in a public statement.

“We urge the incoming Trump administration to ensure that the Israeli government does not sabotage this ceasefire deal, and we also urge the administration to pursue the end of the occupation so that a just, lasting peace can prevail across the region,” he said.

It is an important step that is difficult for many to celebrate, given outgoing President Joe Biden’s failure to secure a ceasefire or to rein in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government, as Trump comes to office having indicated that he would support an Israeli annexation of the occupied West Bank and the development of beach resorts in Gaza.

Unsurprisingly, both Biden and Trump have taken credit for the ceasefire deal, though neither appear to be giving good reason to celebrate their claims. 

In a press conference, Biden said that the deal was what he’d put forth back in May, a statement that quickly drew ridicule from his opponents and late-night comedians alike. Meanwhile, Trump’s claims of credit, largely based on his support for Netanyahu, doesn’t seem to bode well for those who want a just and lasting peace.

Over the last several months, as Trump courted Netanyahu and repeatedly promised that he’d secure a hostage deal and end the war, many saw echoes of the staged release of US hostages from Iran in 1979. It was a humiliation for then-outgoing president Jimmy Carter on the inauguration day of Ronald Reagan.

Moreover, the change in administration appears to be putting human rights advocates in the awkward position of having to reason with Trump, despite his history of hostility towards Arabs and Muslims. The Republican-sponsored legislation dubbed the “non-profit killer bill” would make it even more difficult for activists to advocate for Palestinians.

Nevertheless, it is into this possibly far more difficult period that Palestinians and human rights advocates will continue their work, with cautious hopes for a just ceasefire.

“We hold tightly to the hope of a halt to the Israeli military’s bombardments, an end to the starvation of Palestinians by the Israeli government, a beginning of rebuilding in Gaza, and the return of hostages held in Israel and in Gaza to their families,” according to a public statement by Jewish Voice for Peace.

“The coming days and weeks during this fragile ceasefire will be critical for the Palestine solidarity movement to turn this temporary agreement into a full halt of the genocide, including the unrestricted flow of humanitarian aid and an end to the Israeli military occupation and siege of Gaza,” JVP continued.

And like the many other times, they already seem to prepared for the possibility that if the root causes of the conflict are not addressed, which does not appear to be in the next administration’s plans, they could see another cycle of violence.

“True and lasting peace can only be achieved by confronting the root cause: the occupation, and securing the freedom, dignity, and statehood of Palestine,” according to a public statement by Emgage. 

“With the new administration shaping future policy, we call on leaders to continue striving for justice and dignity for Palestine,” Emgage’s statement added.