The UN Security Council endorses Donald Trump's proposals for a lasting peace in Gaza, including the deployment of an international stabilisation force and a possible path towards a sovereign Palestinian state. The resolution passed 13-0, with China and Russia abstaining. According to the US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, the document „charting a new course for the Middle East“.
The references to a future independent Palestine were a prize for the support of the Arab and Islamic world to provide the majority of troops for the International Stabilisation Force (ISF). However, the day before the vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his government's fundamental opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state, raising doubts about whether Israel will allow the proposal to be implemented, The Guardian reported.
After the vote, Hamas rejected what it called an imposed „international trusteeship mechanism“, and announced that he would not disarm.
Supporters of the resolution argue that it should lead to the immediate removal of restrictions on the distribution of aid to Gaza, the creation of a stabilization force to fill the vacuum left by the Israeli withdrawal, and incremental steps toward rebuilding Gaza and „a possible path to Palestinian self-determination and statehood“.
The reference to statehood was added only afterwards as a compromise, in the form of a very vague formulation: as soon as the Palestinian Authority is reformed and reconstruction begins, „the conditions can finally be created for a credible path to Palestinian self-determination and statehood“. The Arab and Islamic states and the European members of the Council demanded a firmer commitment but accepted a compromise because of the extension of the current ceasefire and the urgent need to protect Gaza's 2.2 million inhabitants.
In their interventions, the UK and Algeria stressed that transitional arrangements must respect international law, Palestinian sovereignty and the right to self-determination. Algeria eventually voted in favour of the document and drew attention to the annex to the resolution, which it said clearly stated: no annexation, no occupation, no forced displacement.
Netanyahu reportedly agreed to the text reluctantly in talks with Washington, but backed down after strong opposition from the far right wing of the government, saying that „opposition to a Palestinian state in any territory has not changed“.
The resolution represents a rare example of consensus on Gaza after two years of diplomatic paralysis, during which more than 71 000 Palestinians have been killed and accusations of genocide have surfaced. But the price for Russia and China's failure to use their vetoes was a considerable degree of ambiguity - from the composition of the Trump-led „peace council“ to the shape of the Palestinian technocratic committee that is supposed to run the day-to-day administration of Gaza.
The ISF is supposed to have a mandate to disarm armed groups, including Hamas, but no country has yet committed troops. Hamas has reiterated that it will not disarm, which may lead to a clash with an international force.
The terms of the PA reforms remain vague and European diplomats are calling for the members of the technocratic committee to be appointed quickly.
Trump described the vote on social media as a „historic moment“ and announced further announcements in the coming weeks.
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