UN Security Council backs Trump's plan for postwar Gaza

U.N. vote, on which China and Russia abstained, will pave way for new governance in Gaza

- Robbie Gramer & Summer Said

The resolution's passage marks a significant diplomatic victory for Trump's ambitions to bring peace to the Middle East.

(AFP)

The U.N. Security Council voted to back President Trump’s Middle East peace plan on Monday following a flurry of backroom diplomacy by top Trump officials and U.S. allies.

The resolution forms the central plank of the Trump administration’s next steps to implement a lasting peace in Gaza following the two-year Israel-Hamas war. The resolution passed the 15-member Security Council with 13 votes in favor and two countries—Russia and China—abstaining.

The resolution sets up the legal mandate for an international stabilization force and lays the groundwork for a new transitional government in Gaza through a “Board of Peace” that would initially oversee Gaza's reconstruction.

The resolution’s passage marks a significant diplomatic victory for Trump’s ambitions to bring peace to the Middle East. But it still leaves questions about the future of Gaza unanswered, including whether there is a credible path to Palestinian statehood and what role, if any, an international stabilization force would have in disarming Hamas.

Some countries involved in the peace talks, including Egypt, Turkey, Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Indonesia, have expressed interest in joining the international stabilization force for Gaza, but these countries have told U.S. officials they first need a mandate from the United Nations to participate. As such, senior Trump administration officials see the U.N. resolution as a crucial next step in implementing the president's plan.