UN Security Council approves US-backed plan for Gaza

By Billy Stockwell, Jennifer Hansler, CNN

(CNN) — The UN Security Council passed a US-drafted resolution Monday that aims to move beyond the fragile truce in Gaza to a more sustainable peace and the reconstruction of the devastated enclave.

The 15-member council voted 13 to 0 in favor of the resolution, with abstentions by Russia and China, which declined to use their veto power to block the measure.

The resolution was intended to add international legitimacy to US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza plan, parts of which formed the basis of the ceasefire that took effect in the Gaza Strip last month. The United States had lobbied hard for its passage, which was praised by Trump in a lengthy post on social media.

“Congratulations to the World on the incredible Vote of the United Nations Security Council, just moments ago, acknowledging and endorsing the BOARD OF PEACE, which will be chaired by me, and include the most powerful and respected Leaders throughout the World,” Trump wrote Monday.

The resolution authorized elements of the plan, including the establishment of the “Board of Peace” as a transitional authority and the creation of a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza, according to a draft seen by CNN.

Trump said Monday that “the members of the Board, and many more exciting announcements, will be made in the coming weeks.”

Some diplomatic sources said the resolution will help grant the authority for countries to participate in the ISF, as it will now have UN backing.

US Ambassador to the UN Michael Waltz said Monday that the ISF, “a strong coalition of peacekeepers, many from Muslim majority nations like Indonesia, Azerbaijan and others,” will deploy to Gaza “under a unified command” in order to “secure Gaza streets … oversee demilitarization … protect civilians and … escort aid through safe corridors.”

US officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, had acknowledged the need for an “international mandate” to support the plan. Ahead of the vote, Waltz warned that “a vote against this resolution is a vote to return to war.”

Although the resolution has passed, many questions remain about its implementation, with the draft appearing vague on sequencing and detail.

Western diplomatic sources have told CNN that the lack of detail in the resolution will make it hard to put into effect. It has faced scutiny for lacking a clear timeline for the transitional authorities to hand over to the Palestinian Authority, saying only that it will do so once the PA “has satisfactorily completed its reform program.” The resolution authorizes the Board of Peace and other authorized “international civil and security presences” until the end of 2027.

The resolution states that the Board of Peace will oversee the disarmament of Hamas and other factions – a key Israeli demand – and the reconstruction of Gaza.

Notably, the resolution also contains a reference to Palestinian statehood, but it provides no timeline for it.

“After the (Palestinian Authority) reform program is faithfully carried out and Gaza redevelopment has advanced, the conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” the draft said.

“The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence,” it said.

The representative from Russia, one of the two UN Security Council members to abstain from the vote, said it was important that the resolution not become “a death knell for the two state solution.” A representative of China, the other member to abstain, argued that “it seems Palestine is barely visible in it, and the Palestinian sovereignty and ownership are not fully reflected.”

The resolution calls on UN member states and international oragnizations to work with the Board “to contribute personnel, equipment, and financial resources to its operating entities and the ISF, to provide technical assistance to its operating entities and the ISF, and to give full recognition to its acts and documents.”

Hamas said Sunday that it considered the draft resolution “an attempt to impose international guardianship over Gaza and promote a vision biased toward the occupation.”

After Monday’s vote, Hamas said that giving any stabilization force “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.”

Waltz said after the passage of the resolution that the Board of Peace “will coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance, facilitate Gaza’s development and support a technocratic committee of Palestinians responsible for day-to-day operations of Gaza civil service and administration while the Palestinian Authority fully implements its reform program.”

US officials have not expanded in detail on what that reform program would look like.

Some Hamas officials continue to rule out disarmament of the group’s military wing. Hamas fighters would be reluctant to give up light weapons to protect themselves from other groups in Gaza seeking retribution.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated Sunday that “Gaza will be demilitarized, and Hamas will be disarmed — either the easy way or the hard way.”

CNN’s Tim Lister, Nic Robertson and Eyad Kourdi contributed to this report.

This story has been updated with additional details.

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