The resolution, drafted by the United States as part of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, passed in a 13-0 vote on Monday, paving the way for the crucial next steps for the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Russia and China abstained from the vote.
Arab and other Muslim countries that expressed interest in providing troops for an international force had previously indicated that a UN mandate was essential for their participation. At their behest, the US had included more defined language about Palestinian self-determination in the draft to get it over the finish line.
The draft now says “conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” after the Palestinian Authority, which has limited self-governance in the occupied West Bank, carries out reforms and advances are made in the redevelopment of Gaza.
That language angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said on Sunday that Israel remained opposed to a Palestinian state and pledged to demilitarise Gaza “the easy way or the hard way”.
US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz stated after the vote that the “resolution represents another significant step that will enable Gaza to prosper in an environment that will allow Israel to live in security”.
The US resolution says the stabilisation troops will help secure border areas along with a trained and vetted Palestinian police force and they will coordinate with other countries to secure the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. It adds the force should closely consult and cooperate with neighbouring Egypt and Israel.
It also calls for the stabilisation force to ensure “the process of demilitarising the Gaza Strip” and “the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups”. The resolution authorises the force to “use all necessary measures to carry out its mandate”.
The resolution stresses Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza “based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarisation”, which would be agreed by the stabilisation force, Israeli forces, the US and the guarantors of the ceasefire.
Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that the international board of peace overseeing Gaza would “include the most powerful and respected Leaders throughout the World” and thanked countries that “strongly backed the effort, including Qatar, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Turkiye, and Jordan”.
Despite the ceasefire that came into effect on October 10, Israel has continued to carry out deadly attacks in Gaza almost daily and to restrict humanitarian aid.
Israel’s brutal assault has killed more than 69,000 Palestinians in what leading rights groups have described as a genocide.
