The UN Security Council passed a US-drafted resolution for Gaza that aims to move beyond the fragile truce in the enclave to a more sustainable peace and the reconstruction of the devastated enclave.
The resolution authorized elements of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan, including the establishment of the “Board of Peace.”
The text of the resolution says member states can take part in the “Board of peace” envisioned as a transitional authority that would oversee reconstruction and economic recovery of Gaza.
It also authorises the International Stabilization Force, which would ensure a process of demilitarising Gaza, including by decommissioning weapons and destroying military infrastructure.
The resolution says that the force will work with Israel and Egypt along with newly trained Palestinian police to secure border areas, demilitarise Gaza and protect civilians and humanitarian operations. As the force establishes control and stability, the Israeli military will withdraw from Gaza, save for a security perimeter presence.
According to the resolution, the authorisation for the board and force expires at the end of 2027.
The resolution has proved controversial in Israel because it references a future possibility of statehood for the Palestinians. The resolution’s text says, “Conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” once the Palestinian Authority has carried out a reform programme and Gaza’s redevelopment has advanced.
Trump hailed the resolution’s passage.
“Congratulations to the World on the incredible Vote of the United Nations Security Council, just moments ago, acknowledging and endorsing the BOARD OF PEACE, which will be chaired by me, and include the most powerful and respected Leaders throughout the World.”
Donald Trump
Trump announced that “the members of the Board, and many more exciting announcements, will be made in the coming weeks.”
The 15-member council voted 13 to 0 in favor of the resolution, with abstentions by Russia and China, which declined to use their veto power to block the measure.
Russia’s UN Ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, has explained why his country abstained from the vote on the US resolution, expressing concerns about how it sidelines Palestinian participation.
China also expressed concern over a lack of details in the document, including on the role of Palestinians. China’s Envoy to the UN, Fu Cong, said that the resolution “doesn’t demonstrate the fundamental principle of Palestinians governing Palestine.”
Fu also expressed concern that the resolution didn’t “ensure effective participation of the UN and its Security Council.”
Resolution Deemed Important Step In Consolidating Gaza Ceasefire
A Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres described the Gaza resolution as “an important step in the consolidation of the ceasefire” and called for the diplomatic momentum to be translated into “concrete and urgently needed steps on the ground.”
Stephane Dujarric said that the UN is committed to its role in implementing the US resolution, including “scaling up humanitarian assistance” in Gaza and “supporting all efforts to move the parties toward the next phase of the ceasefire.”
He also said that Guterres “commends the continued diplomatic efforts of Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye, the United States and regional states.”
He added that the Secretary-General also “underlines the importance of moving to the next phase of the US plan, leading to a political process for the achievement of the two-state solution in line with previous United Nations resolutions.”
The Palestinian Authority hailed the passage of the US resolution on Gaza. In a statement carried by a news agency, the PA said the US plan “affirms the establishment of a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance and the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state.”
The PA, which is based in Ramallah, also expressed its “full readiness to cooperate” with the Trump administration and the UN to “ensure the implementation of this resolution in a way that ends the suffering of our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem.”
However, Hamas, which controls Gaza, slammed the US resolution. It said that the resolution does not meet Palestinian demands and assigning an international force to disarm resistance groups in Gaza “strips it of its neutrality, and turns it into a party to the conflict in favour of the occupation.”
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