UN Security Council prepares vote on Trump’s Gaza stabilisation plan

The UN Security Council is set to vote on November 17 on a US-drafted resolution backing Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, including the deployment of international forces, as Washington warns that inaction could trigger renewed fighting.

The proposal, repeatedly revised during high-stakes negotiations, “approves” the plan that enabled a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas on 10 October in the war-torn Palestinian territory. After two years of hostilities, much of Gaza has been reduced to ruins, Caliber.Az reports, citing AFP.

The latest version of the text authorises the creation of International Stabilization Forces (ISF) that would work with Israel, Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police to secure border areas and demilitarise the Gaza Strip.

The ISF would also oversee “the final decommissioning of weapons held by non-state armed groups,” protect civilians and secure humanitarian corridors.

The draft further endorses establishing a “Council of Peace” — a transitional governing body for Gaza that Trump could theoretically lead — with a mandate running through the end of 2027.

Unlike earlier versions, the latest text refers to a possible future Palestinian state.

The United States and several Arab and Muslim-majority countries — including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye — urged the UN Security Council on November 14 to swiftly adopt the resolution.

In a joint statement, the United States, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan and Türkiye declared their support for the draft currently before the Council, calling for its “swift adoption.”

Their appeal came as Russia circulated a rival draft that does not authorise the establishment of a peace board or the immediate deployment of an international force in Gaza.

The Russian text welcomes “the initiative that led to the ceasefire” without mentioning Trump, and merely asks the UN secretary-general to prepare a report on the potential deployment of an ISF in the war-torn enclave.

Washington, which has described the ceasefire as “fragile,” warned of the risks of failing to adopt its proposal.

By Jeyhun Aghazada