United Nations Security Council Backs Donald Trump's Gaza Proposal

The UN Security Council has supported a plan presented by President Trump for securing a lasting peace in the Gaza Strip, including the deployment of an international stabilisation force and a possible path to a Palestinian statehood.

Widespread Support with Notable Absent Votes

The resolution was adopted by a tally of thirteen in favor, with Russia and China declining to cast votes. America's representative the American delegate told the international body that it charted “a fresh direction in the Middle East for both sides and all the inhabitants of the area alike”.

Negotiated Wording on Palestinian Statehood

Addition of mentions to an independent Palestine was the concession the US offered for endorsement from the Arab and Islamic world, who are expected to provide peacekeepers for the global force.

“The transitional arrangements that we begin today must be executed in following international law and honoring Palestinian rights,” the UK chargé d’affaires stated.

Israeli Opposition Persists

Nonetheless, on the verge of the resolution approval, PM Benjamin Netanyahu restated his administration's strong objection to the formation of a sovereign Palestine, casting doubt on whether the Israeli government will allow the enactment of the UN-mandated proposals.

Main Elements of the Measure

• Swift elimination of existing limitations on relief supplies into the territory
• Formation of an multinational peacekeeping unit
• Progress on restoration and a potential “pathway to Palestinian self-determination and nationhood”

Unclear Language and Conditions

The mention to independence was a negotiated inclusion to an initial US draft which omitted it. Yet the phrasing is ambiguous and dependent, promising only that once the PA has undergone changes and the rebuilding of Gaza is advancing, “the situation may finally be in readiness for a realistic route to Palestinian independence and sovereignty.”

International Response

The phrasing fell far short of the definite pledge to the establishment of a sovereign Palestine next to Israel sought by Arab and Islamic states, as well as European council members, but in addresses to the council after the approval, envoys from those countries said they were ready to support the settlement in the service of prolonging the ongoing cessation of hostilities and prompt actions to assist and secure the millions of Palestinians in Gaza.

“Our delegation has eventually decided to vote in favour of this document, a measure that we approve its core objective, namely the preservation of the cessation of hostilities and the creation of situations allowing the Palestinian population to assert their fundamental rights to independence and sovereignty,” the Algerian envoy declared.

Execution Hurdles

The resolution provides comprehensive monitoring control to a “peace board” chaired by Donald Trump, but of undefined composition. The board has to update the international body but it is not bound by the desires of the global organization or by the Palestinian leadership.

Additionally, it requires the establishment of a Palestinian technocratic committee that is supposed to run routine management of the Gaza and the provision of utilities, but it is highly uncertain who would participate.

Security Force Authority

The mandate of the global force authorizes it to neutralize and disband fighting factions in the strip, but it is quite ambiguous that possible sending countries would consent to face such organizations. Not a single nation has so far pledged to dispatching troops.

Moreover the standards for reform of the Palestinian Authority, the precondition towards moves to a sovereign Palestinian, have been hazy.

European diplomats said they viewed it as pressing that the identities of the specialized group to provide utilities was settled as quickly as possible.