The UN Security Council approved a draft resolution prepared by the United States on Gaza based on Donald Trump’s 20-point plan and which includes the establishment of an international security force in the Palestinian enclave.
The resolution, passed with 13 votes in favor with China and Russia abstaining, stipulates an International Security Force (ISF) until December 2027 that will be tasked with securing Gaza’s borders with Israel and Egypt, protecting civilians and humanitarian corridors, and training a new Palestinian police force.
During the meeting, which was attended by the Israeli ambassador but in which no Palestinian representation was present, the US ambassador to the organization, Mike Waltz, first urged support for the resolution and later congratulated the members for “coming together” and approving the document.
According to him, the resolution denies Hamas a chance to reconstitute itself and ensures that “the people of Gaza can feed themselves.”
“If the most affected region, the Arab nations, the Muslim-majority nations, the Palestinians and the Israelis can accept this resolution, how can anyone oppose it? There is an old saying where I come from: you can’t be more Catholic than the Pope,” the diplomat added just before the vote.
Walt called the Peace Board, which will a priori be led by Trump, the “cornerstone” of the initiative, and announced that there will be “a technocratic committee of Palestinians responsible for the operations of the administration and civil service of Gaza” while the Palestinian Authority “implements its reform program.”
He also described the functions of the international stabilization force related to the security of the environment and Palestinian civilians, the demilitarization of Gaza, the dismantling of terrorist infrastructure and the confiscation of weapons, and predicted investments that will “revitalize” the enclave.
“The adoption of the resolution today demonstrates overwhelming support for the president’s vision for a stable Gaza where Palestinians determine their own destiny free from terrorist rule and violence,” he added.
A “law enforcement” force
The ISF plans to operate as a law enforcement force, not a peacekeeping force, with troops from various allies and in coordination with the junta.
The ISF will also be tasked with ensuring the demilitarization process of the Gaza Strip, including the destruction and prevention of reconstruction of military infrastructure, as well as the permanent disarmament of non-state armed groups.
“The Peace Board will coordinate reconstruction through a trust fund backed by the World Bank to recover and retransform lives previously shattered,” Waltz said.
The US Mission explained last week that it had been drafting a resolution with Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates since mid-October, and whose objective was to develop Trump’s plan.
Russia, for its part, presented its own draft last Friday in which it called for a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine and called on the UN Secretary General to prepare a report for the Council with “options” to implement Trump’s plan.
Waltz simply noted that the resolution approved today outlines “a possible path toward Palestinian self-determination” once the Palestinian Authority has “completed its necessary reforms.”
The truce in Gaza began on October 10 as part of a 20-point plan that includes the return of Israeli hostages, the release of Palestinian prisoners and the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops in its first phase.
The second phase of the proposal stipulates the demilitarization of Gaza, the deployment of an international stabilization force and a reconstruction plan with the support of Arab and Islamic nations.
With information from EFE
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