Last Friday, a senior political aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) convened a group of progressive pro-Palestinian groups on a Zoom call to discuss strategy. The list of participants included representatives of the political arm of Jewish Voice for Peace, the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project, IfNotNow and Americans for Justice in Palestine Action.

The call took place less than two days after President Joe Biden confirmed on CNN that his administration had paused an offensive weapons shipment to Israel and would withhold additional transfers if Israel launched a full-scale invasion of Rafah, the city in southern Gaza where 1 million Palestinians are taking refuge.

The Ocasio-Cortez aide appealed to the activists on the call to give Biden appropriate credit, given the historic nature of the step, and noted that Biden was already receiving fierce pushback from Israel supporters furious about the news.

Its important we make clear to the White House that when the president moves in our direction, were willing to say so, said Mike Casca, Ocasio-Cortezs chief of staff, who was not the aide present on the call.

On the whole, advocates for Palestinian rights and a cease-fire in Gaza inside Congress and out were already marching in step with Ocasio-Cortez. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) joined her in praising Bidens announcement. So, too, did the uncommitted movement , which had sought to pressure Biden through the Democratic primaries; Arab American Institute founder James Zogby; the Muslim group Emgage ; the Center for International Policy; the liberal pro-Israel group J Street ; the Jewish Democratic Council of America; the Center for American Progress ; and Indivisible . Even IfNotNow and Jewish Voice for Peace offered Biden qualified credit, though JVP did not post its statement on social media.

But the praise was not unanimous, with plenty of pro-Palestinian groups unwilling to give the president credit while the wars horrific toll on Palestinian civilians grows and U.S. weapons and aid continue to flow.

Those dissenting voices might show the growing pains of a still-young and inchoate movement reluctant to acknowledge incremental progress in the face of ongoing bloodshed in Gaza. Or it could show how an uncompromising vanguard can complement the work of a pragmatic advocacy campaign.

Biden has long said he would never let political considerations determine his policy vis-a-vis Israels military assault on Gaza. Still, an administration staffer told HuffPost, there has been a discrepancy in the volume and tenor of complaints hes gotten from the pro-Israel community after Bidens CNN announcement and the recognition hes received from groups that support the Palestinians.

Not that were doing it for politics, but we notice the volume on the outside when people say something supportive or critical, and its equally notable when they dont say anything at all, said one White House official, who requested anonymity in order to speak without authorization.