UN Security Council to Vote on US-Backed Gaza Stabilisation Plan

will vote Monday on a US-drafted resolution supporting Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, which includes deploying an international stabilization force. Washington has warned that failure to pass it could trigger renewed fighting.

The resolution, revised several times, endorses the plan that helped establish a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on October 10, following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack. Gaza has been left largely in ruins after two years of conflict.

It proposes an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to work with Israel, Egypt, and newly trained Palestinian police to secure borders, demilitarize Gaza, protect civilians, and safeguard humanitarian aid corridors. The ISF would also help decommission weapons from non-state armed groups.

A “Board of Peace” would act as a transitional governing body for Gaza, with Trump theoretically chairing until 2027. The draft also mentions a possible future Palestinian state once reforms and reconstruction are underway—a prospect Israel rejects.

“Our opposition to a Palestinian state on any territory has not changed,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said Sunday. The Security Council vote is scheduled for 5:00 pm (2200 GMT) Monday.

Russia has circulated a competing draft, saying the US plan does not go far enough to support a Palestinian state. Moscow’s version calls for reaffirming the Council’s commitment to a two-state solution but does not authorize an international force or Board of Peace.

The US has highlighted backing from several Arab and Muslim-majority countries, including Qatar, Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and Turkey. US Ambassador Mike Waltz warned that rejecting the resolution would amount to supporting either Hamas rule or renewed conflict with Israel.

Diplomats expect the US draft to pass, though Russia and China may abstain, signaling skepticism while watching implementation efforts.

#UTVAfrica#