The United Nations Security Council on Monday passed a US-drafted resolution that moves beyond the fragile ceasefire in Gaza and aims for a more sustainable peace and rebuilding of the devastated enclave.
The 15-member council voted 13-0 in favor of the resolution, with Russia and China abstaining but refusing to use their veto power to block the bill.
The resolution aims to add international legitimacy to US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza Plan, some of which served as the basis for the ceasefire that took effect in the Gaza Strip last month. The United States lobbied hard for its passage, and President Trump praised it in a lengthy social media post.
“I congratulate the world on the great vote of the United Nations Security Council, which recently endorsed and endorsed a peace commission of which I am chairman and which includes some of the world’s most powerful and respected leaders,” President Trump wrote on Monday.
The draft resolution approved elements of the plan, including the establishment of an interim peace committee and the creation of an Interim International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, according to a draft obtained by CNN.
President Trump said Monday that there will be “more exciting announcements about board members and more in the coming weeks.”
Some diplomatic sources said the resolution would help empower countries to join the ISF because it would have UN support.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz said on Monday that the ISF, a “powerful coalition of peacekeeping forces from many Muslim-majority nations, including Indonesia and Azerbaijan,” would deploy to Gaza “under unified command” to “ensure the security of the Strip, oversee its demilitarization, protect civilians, and escort aid through secure corridors.”
U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, acknowledged the need for an “international mission” to support the plan. “A vote against this resolution is a vote to go back to war,” Walz warned before the vote.
Although the resolution was passed, many questions remain about its implementation, and the draft appears to be vague in its order and details.
Western diplomatic sources told CNN that the draft resolution’s lack of detail will make it difficult to enter into force. The Transitional Authority has been under fire for lacking a clear timeline for handing over to the Palestinian Authority, saying only that it would do so “after the Palestinian Authority satisfactorily completes its reform program.” The resolution authorizes a peace commission and other authorized “international civilian and security presences” until the end of 2027.
The resolution states that the peace committee will oversee Israel’s key demands: the disarmament of Hamas and other groups and the reconstruction of Gaza.
Notably, the resolution also includes reference to the establishment of a Palestinian state, although no timeline is given.
“If the[Palestinian Authority’s]reform program is faithfully implemented and Gaza redevelopment progresses, conditions may finally be in place for a credible path to self-determination and statehood for the Palestinian people,” the draft states.
“The United States will establish a dialogue with Israelis and Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence.”
The representative of Russia, one of two UN Security Council countries to abstain from voting, said it was important that the resolution did not become a “death sentence for the two-state solution”. The representative of China, the other abstaining member, argued that “Palestine is hardly visible and Palestinian sovereignty and ownership rights are not fully reflected.”
The resolution calls on UN Member States and international organizations to work with the Council to “provide personnel, equipment and financial resources to the governing body and the ISF, provide technical assistance to the governing body and the ISF, and fully recognize its acts and instruments.”
Hamas said on Sunday that it considers the draft resolution an “attempt to impose international guardianship on Gaza and promote a vision biased towards the occupation.”
After Monday’s vote, Hamas said that giving any stabilization force “a mandate and role within the Gaza Strip, including the disarmament of resistance groups, would strip the Strip of its neutrality and turn it into a party to the conflict.”
After passing the resolution, Walz said the peace committee would “coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance, promote development in Gaza, and support Palestinian technical committees in charge of the day-to-day operations of Gaza’s civil service and administration while the Palestinian Authority fully implements its reform program.”
U.S. officials have not provided details about what that reform program will look like.
Some Hamas officials continue to deny the possibility of disarming Hamas’s military wing. Hamas fighters will be reluctant to give up light weapons to protect themselves from other groups in Gaza seeking retaliation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Sunday that “Gaza will be demilitarized and Hamas will be disarmed, whether it’s the easy way or the hard way.”
CNN’s Tim Lister, Nick Robertson and Eyad Kurdi contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with additional details.
