US ramps up pressure for a cease-fire in Gaza

An Israeli tank maneuvers near Israel's border with Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in southern Israel, March 21, 2024.
An Israeli tank maneuvers near Israel's border with Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in southern Israel, March 21, 2024.
REUTERS/Ammar Awad

The US submitted a draft resolution to the UN Security Council calling for an “immediate cease-fire” in Gaza “tied to the release of hostages,” Secretary of State Antony Blinkensaid Wednesday during a visit to the Middle East.

This marks a significant shift in Washington’s stance on the war, as the US has wielded its veto against Gaza cease-fire resolutions several times. Just last month, the US blocked an Algeria-drafted resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire. The Biden administration’s embrace of such language is indicative of the pressure the White House is under with growing criticism from voters over the government’s support for the Jewish State — and an election looming.

The resolution signals that the US is serious about pursuing a cease-fire without abandoning Israel in the process. Though UNSC resolutions are legally binding, they are often ignored, and there are few consequences, if any. Still, Blinken said the resolution would send a “strong message.” The UNSC is expected to vote on the resolution on Friday.

Meanwhile, Blinken says “gaps are narrowing” in indirect talks between Israel and Hamas for a new truce and hostage release.

More from GZERO Media

Congolese and Belgian citizens take part in a protest in Brussels, while clashes between M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo take place in DRC.
REUTERS/Yves Herman

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have withdrawn from peace talks with the Democratic Republic of Congo that were set to start Tuesday in Angola, citing sanctions imposed by the European Commission on Rwandan officials for plundering mineral wealth in the DRC. Rwanda, meanwhile, has severed diplomatic ties with Belgium, which had urged the Commission to impose the sanctions.

French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on March 17, 2025.
REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

Amid Europe’s growing rift with President Donald Trump, a French lawmaker this weekend called on the United States to “give us back the Statue of Liberty” now that Americans “have chosen to side with the tyrants.” But French President Emmanuel Macron came out with a more concrete plan to split with Washington: He's urging allies to buy European missile systems, not American ones.

Syrian troops sit atop a tank as they head toward the Syrian-Lebanese border following clashes with Lebanese soldiers and armed groups, in Qusayr, Syria, March 17, 2025.

REUTERS/Karam al-Masri

Fighting erupted across the border that separates Syria and Lebanon over the weekend.

Bottles of Champagne are seen on display for sale in a wine shop in Paris, France, on March 13, 2025.
REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

European leaders caught between the rock of needing Donald Trump to help bring an end to the war in Ukraine (while they aim to beef up collective defense) and the hard place of fearing economic contraction from US tariffs are quickly realizing that nobody is having fun anymore.

A coalition of labor unions, political action, and community groups march against DOGE and proposed cuts to Medicaid, housing, food assistance, and other vital programs in New York, New York, on March 15, 2025. Some expressed their outrage with Senator Chuck Schumer for voting to advance the Republican funding bill.
Gabriele Holtermann/Sipa USA via Reuters

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met in Brooklyn on Sunday to try to plot a Democratic legislative strategy at a time of deepening divisions within their party. They don’t appear to have found one.

- YouTube

As the Trump administration continues to reshape US foreign policy and retreat from global commitments, does that create an opportunity for China to step in? On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer is joined by Bill Bishop, writer of the Sinocism newsletter, for a wide-ranging conversation on China's political and economic landscape under President Xi Jinping and global ambitions in the wake of Trump 2.0.

Russian President Vladimir Putin could talks with President Donald Trump as early as this week. Artem Priakhin/SOPA Images via Reuters Connect
Artem Priakhin/SOPA Images via Reuters Connect

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss America’s 30-day ceasefire proposal this week after Ukraine endorsed the plan last Tuesday but Putin torpedoed it with a list of conditions.