The UN Security Council will vote later today, Monday, on a US draft resolution supporting President Donald Trump’s peace plan in Gaza, especially with regard to the deployment of an international force in the Strip, at a time when Washington warns that failure to adopt the text may lead to renewed fighting.

The text – which was revised several times in the framework of negotiations within the Council – supports the plan that allowed for a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) on October 10.

The vote in the UN Security Council is scheduled to take place today at 17:00 New York time (22:00 GMT).

The latest version of the text allows for the establishment of an “international stabilization force” that will cooperate with Israel, Egypt and the newly trained Palestinian police to help secure the border areas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.

The International Stabilization Force will also work to “permanently disarm informal armed groups,” protect civilians, and establish humanitarian corridors.

The draft resolution also allows for the establishment of a “Peace Council,” a transitional governing body for Gaza that Trump will theoretically chair, with its mandate continuing until the end of 2027.

Unlike previous drafts, this resolution indicates the possibility of establishing a future Palestinian state.

The draft stipulates that once the Palestinian Authority implements the required reforms and begins the reconstruction of Gaza, “conditions may finally be prepared for a reliable path to Palestinian self-determination and the establishment of a state.” This clause was met with strong rejection by Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a government meeting yesterday, Sunday, that “our opposition to a Palestinian state on any land has not changed.”

Russian project

Russia – which has veto power – distributed a competing draft resolution to members of the Security Council, considering that the American text does not sufficiently support the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The Russian draft resolution asks the Security Council to express its “firm commitment to the vision of a two-state solution.”

It does not provide for the establishment of a peace council or the deployment of an international force in Gaza at the present time, but rather calls on the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, to present “options” in this regard.

America is mobilizing

The United States intensified its campaign to gain support for its resolution, criticizing any “attempts to sow discord” among Security Council members.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz wrote in the Washington Post, saying, “Any refusal to support this resolution is a vote for the continued rule of Hamas terrorists or for a return to war with Israel, which condemns the region and its people to remain in permanent conflict,” as he put it.

The United States announced that it has the support of a number of Arab and Muslim countries, and published a joint statement in support of the text signed by Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and Turkey.

According to Agence France-Presse, a number of diplomats believe that despite the Russian criticism and the reluctance of some other member states, they expect the American draft resolution to be adopted.

Richard Gowan of the International Crisis Group said that the Russians “know that while many GCC countries will agree to the American plans, they share concerns about the substance of the American text and the way in which Washington tried to quickly push it to pass it in New York.”

But he doubted that Moscow would use its veto power against a resolution supported by the Arab countries, and he expected China and Russia to abstain from voting, and that they would “register their doubts about the plan and then watch as the United States faces difficulties in implementing it.”

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