The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday approved a US-drafted resolution backing President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza and authorising the creation of an international stabilisation force in the enclave.
Israel and Hamas agreed last month on the first phase of Trump’s 20-point plan, a ceasefire in their two-year conflict and a deal on hostage releases. The UN resolution is seen as key to giving political legitimacy to a new transitional governing body and to encouraging countries that are considering sending troops to Gaza.
According to the text, member states can take part in a Trump-led Peace Council, a transitional authority that will oversee Gaza’s reconstruction and economic recovery. It also authorises the international stabilisation force, which is tasked with overseeing the demilitarisation of Gaza, including weapons withdrawal and the destruction of military infrastructure.
Thirteen UNSC members voted in favour. The US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, called the resolution “historic and constructive.” Russia and China abstained.
Trump hails ‘greatest approval’
Donald Trump welcomed the vote, claiming it would bring “further peace throughout the world.” In a post on social media, he said the vote recognises and endorses the Board of Peace, which he said he will chair. “This will go down as one of the greatest approvals in United Nations history and will bring further peace throughout the world,” the US president declared.
Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Danny Danon, said in a statement that “the UN Security Council has adopted a Resolution calling for an International Stabilisation Force to come to Gaza.”
“We are determined to ensure that all hostages return home and that Hamas is demilitarised. We will ensure that Hamas will no longer pose a threat to Israel,” he added.
Hamas rejects the plan
Hamas rejected the US-drafted resolution, arguing that it violates Palestinian rights and aims to impose international guardianship over Gaza, something it says both the population and resistance factions oppose.
“Assigning an international force responsibilities and roles in the Gaza Strip, including the disarmament of the resistance, strips it of neutrality and turns it into a party to the conflict that acts in favour of the occupation,” the movement said in a statement.
Source: Reuters