The UN Security Council approves the peace plan for Gaza. China and Russia do not veto

A joint statement with Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan and Turkey had been issued after the US had moved to address objections by making a few changes to their proposal: in particular, they had included a more explicit reference to Palestinian self-determination under pressure from European as well as Arab countries.

The text that was eventually brought to the vote, based on a 20-point strategy set out by the White House, establishes the debut of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to work with Israel and Egypt under an initial two-year mandate and secure Gaza's borders, facilitate humanitarian aid, and support the development and training of a new Palestinian police force. It should also oversee the disarmament of Hamas and other militias in the strip.

The nations designated to contribute troops to the ISF, in addition to Egypt, are Indonesia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, and had made UN approval a condition for their role in order to avoid the accusation of being occupying forces.

Among the expected steps is the appointment of the so-called Board of Peace, the body in charge of the political supervision of the transition in Gaza chaired by Trump, which in turn will have a mandate until the end of 2027. Clarifications are also expected on the control and command of the stabilisation force. Day-to-day management of Gaza will take place through what is instead described as a 'technocratic, apolitical committee of competent Palestinians in the Strip'.

The text, significantly though generically, indicates that if the Palestinian Authority, which today has a circumscribed governing role in the West Bank, is capable of reform and if the reconstruction of Gaza proceeds, then the conditions 'may finally be in place for a credible path towards self-determination and the Palestinians' right to sovereignty'.

In the march towards the vote, Arab diplomacy has been on hand to support the project and its ambition to resolve an endless cycle of crises. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty held talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas signed in Sharm el-Sheikh mediated by Trump. This was reported by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, explaining that during the conversation Abdel Aty stressed "the importance of continuing to implement all the points of the peace plan" and reviewed preparations for an upcoming international conference to be held in Cairo for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

However, difficult challenges remain in the aftermath of the resolution. The Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu has continued to reiterate its firm opposition to any future Palestinian state. "Our opposition to a Palestinian state in any territory has not changed," Netanyahu said on the eve of the vote. In a statement published overnight, Hamas on behalf of the Palestinian factions says for its part that the resolution submitted by the US to the UN Security Council is "dangerous" because it is "an attempt to subjugate the Gaza Strip to international authority". The statement says that the factions reject any clause relating to the disarmament of Gaza or that would harm 'the right of the Palestinian people to resistance'.