The United Nations Security Council on Monday approved President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza, a breakthrough that provides a legal UN mandate for the administration's vision of how to move past the ceasefire and rebuild the war-ravaged Gaza Strip after two years of war.
The Council's vote was also a major diplomatic victory for the Trump administration. For the past two years, as the conflict between Israel and Hamas has raged, the US had been isolated at the United Nations over its staunch support for Israel.
The US resolution calls for an International Stabilisation Force to enter, demilitarise and govern Gaza. The proposal, which contained Trump's 20-point ceasefire plan, also envisions a "Board of Peace" to oversee the peace plan, though it does not clarify the composition of the board.
The resolution passed with 13 votes in favour and zero votes against. Russia and China, either of which could have vetoed it, abstained, apparently swayed by the support for the resolution from a number of Arab and Muslim nations: Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Indonesia, Turkey and Pakistan, which is a member of the Council.
Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the United Nations, who addressed the Council before the vote, called Gaza "hell on earth" and held up a copy of the resolution, describing it as "a lifeline". After the vote, Waltz thanked the Council for "joining us in charting a new course for Israelis, Palestinians and all the people in the region alike".
Security Council resolutions are considered legally binding international law, and although the Council does not have a mechanism for enforcing such resolutions, it can take measures to punish violators with penalties such as sanctions.
In post on Truth Social, Trump wrote: "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."
He thanked various countries, including Russia and China, and said the vote "will lead to further Peace all over the World".
Still, the path forward is plagued by many uncertainties, with Israeli strikes continuing in Gaza and outbreaks of violence erupting in the West Bank. Among the next steps would be naming members of the Board of Peace, the body in charge of overseeing the transition in Gaza, and clarifying under whose authority the stabilisation forces would operate.
The resolution says that if the Palestinian Authority, which partly governs the West Bank, undergoes reforms and the redevelopment of the shattered Gaza Strip advances, the conditions "may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood".
Many Council members, including France, Guyana, Pakistan, Slovenia and Somalia, had issues with the fact that the resolution did not include clear language on Palestinian statehood. But they said that they had endorsed the proposal to support the political momentum, prevent the resurgence of violence and allow much-needed humanitarian aid to flow into the enclave. They reiterated that the territorial integrity of Gaza must remain intact, and that lasting peace must be rooted in a two-state solution.
New York Times News Service