NEW YORK CITY (Kashmir English): The UN Security Council Monday voted in favour of a US resolution bolstering Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan that suggests the deployment of an international force for the Palestinian enclave and a path to a future Palestinian state.
The US-drafted resolution got 13 votes in favou, which Washington heralded after the vote as “historic and constructive,” with Russia and China abstaining and no vetoes.
Israel and Hamas agreed in September to the first phase of Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza — a ceasefire in their two-year war and a hostage-release deal — but the UN resolution is seen as key to legitimising a transitional governance body and reassuring countries that are considering sending troops to Gaza.
The text of the resolution says member states can take part in the Board of Peace, envisioned as a transitional authority that would oversee the reconstruction and economic recovery of Gaza.
It also paves way for the International Stabilization Force (ISF), which would ensure a process of demilitarizing Gaza, including by decommissioning weapons and destroying military infrastructure.
Trump’s 20-point plan is included as an annex to the resolution.
Russia, which holds a veto on the UN Security Council, earlier signalled potential opposition to the resolution but on the occasion abstained from the vote, allowing the resolution to pass.
Hamas, however, rejected the resolution, saying it fails to meet Palestinians’ rights and demands and seeks to impose an international trusteeship on the enclave that Palestinians and resistance factions oppose.
“Assigning the international force with tasks and roles inside the Gaza Strip, including disarming the resistance, strips it of its neutrality, and turns it into a party to the conflict in favour of the occupation,” the group added.
Gaza Strip
The Gaza Strip has been largely reduced to rubble after two years of bombardment.
The resolution’s text also says that “conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” once the Palestinian Authority has carried out a reform program and Gaza’s redevelopment has advanced.
