UNITED NATIONS – The UN Security Council voted overwhelmingly on Monday to approve a US-drafted resolution supporting President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, which calls for deploying an international force to the war-torn Palestinian territory and establishes a pathway toward Palestinian statehood.
The resolution passed with 13 votes in favor and only Russia and China abstaining, avoiding any vetoes that would have killed the measure.
“This will go down as one of the biggest approvals in the History of the United Nations, (and) will lead to further Peace all over the World,” Trump posted on social media following the vote, claiming the resolution acknowledged and endorsed his “Board of Peace” initiative, which he would chair.
The vote represents a diplomatic victory for the Trump administration’s efforts to secure international backing for its Middle East peace framework, which helped establish a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on 10 October after two years of devastating conflict in Gaza.
International force mandate
The resolution authorises creation of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) that would work alongside Israeli and Egyptian forces, as well as newly trained Palestinian police, to secure border areas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip. The ISF would be tasked with permanently dismantling weapons from armed groups, protecting civilians and securing humanitarian aid corridors.
“Today’s resolution represents another significant step that will enable Gaza to prosper and an environment that will allow Israel to live in security,” said U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz after the vote.
The measure also establishes Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace” as a transitional governing body for Gaza, with a mandate running through the end of 2027.
Palestinian statehood path
In carefully worded language, the resolution references the possibility of future Palestinian statehood, stating that once the Palestinian Authority implements requested reforms and Gaza reconstruction begins, “the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
However, Israel has firmly rejected any moves toward Palestinian statehood. Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon said the resolution would “make sure that Hamas will not pose a threat against Israel anymore.”
Mixed reactions
Hamas, which is explicitly excluded from any governance role under the resolution, rejected the measure, saying it failed to meet Palestinians’ “political and humanitarian demands and rights.”
Russia, which abstained from the vote, had circulated its own competing draft that Moscow argued went further in supporting Palestinian statehood. Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya criticized the U.S. resolution as “yet another pig in a poke,” saying the Security Council was “giving complete control over the Gaza strip to the Board of Peace.”
“Security Council members were, in practice, not given the time to do the work in good faith,” Nebenzya said.
Despite Russian opposition, the US secured backing from several Arab and Muslim-majority nations, including Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan and Turkey, which published a joint statement supporting the resolution.
Humanitarian focus
The resolution also calls for resuming large-scale humanitarian aid deliveries through the UN, International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent organizations.
“We must also substantially step up our work to support the UN humanitarian effort. That requires opening all crossings and ensuring that aid agencies and international NGOs can operate without obstruction,” said British UN Ambassador James Kariuki.
The Gaza Strip has been largely reduced to rubble following the two-year conflict that began with Hamas’s attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.
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