The UN Security Council voted on Monday in favour of a US-drafted resolution bolstering Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan that includes the deployment of an international force and a path to a future Palestinian state.

There were 13 votes in favor of the text, which Washington heralded after the vote as "historic and constructive," with China and Russia abstaining – but no vetoes.

Trump posted on social media that the vote "acknowledging and endorsing the BOARD OF PEACE, which will be chaired by me...will go down as one of the biggest approvals in the History of the United Nations, (and) will lead to further Peace all over the World."

But Hamas, which is excluded by the resolution from any governance role in Gaza, said the resolution did not meet Palestinians' "political and humanitarian demands and rights."

The text, which was revised several times as a result of high-stakes negotiations, "endorses" the US president's plan, which allowed for a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to take hold on October 10 in the war-wracked Palestinian territory.

The Gaza Strip has been largely reduced to rubble after two years of fighting, sparked by Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The peace plan authorises the creation of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) that would work with Israel and Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police to help secure border areas and demilitarise the Gaza Strip.

The ISF is mandated to work on the "permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups," protecting civilians and securing humanitarian aid corridors.

It also authorises the formation of a "Board of Peace," a transitional governing body for Gaza with a mandate running until the end of 2027.

The resolution mentions a possible future Palestinian state.

Once the Palestinian Authority has carried out requested reforms and the rebuilding of Gaza is underway, "the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood," the draft says.

That eventuality has been firmly rejected by Israel.

The resolution also calls for the resumption of humanitarian aid deliveries at scale through the UN, ICRC and Red Crescent.

Veto-wielding Russia circulated a competing draft, saying the US document does not go far enough towards backing the creation of a Palestinian state.

Moscow's text asked the Council to express its "unwavering commitment to the vision of the two-state solution."

It would not have authorised a Board of Peace or the deployment of an international force for the time being, instead asking UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to offer "options" on those issues.

The US won the backing of several Arab and Muslim-majority nations, publishing a joint statement of support for the text signed by Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and Turkey. (AFP)
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Last updated: 2025-11-18 HKT 08:04