(Dave DeCamp, Antiwar.com) The UN Security Council on Monday adopted a US-proposed resolution that places Gaza under the control of a US-led body, dubbed the “Board of Peace,” for at least two years and authorizes the deployment of an international force to the Palestinian territory that will operate under the watch of the US military.
The 15-member Security Council passed the resolution with 13 voting in favor and none voting against. Russia and China abstained from voting, choosing not to use their veto power to stop the resolution. Ahead of the vote, US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz warned that a vote against the resolution was a “vote to return to war.”
The resolution endorses the 20-point US-Israeli Gaza plan released by the White House on September 29, which it refers to as the “Comprehensive Plan.”
The resolution states that the Security Council welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace, or BoP, which will be headed by President Trump. It describes the BoP as “a transitional administration with international legal personality that will set the framework, and coordinate funding for, the redevelopment of Gaza pursuant to the Comprehensive Plan.”
The UN resolution says that the BoP will remain the authority in Gaza until the Palestinian Authority (PA) “has satisfactorily completed its reform program,” though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the idea of the PA having a role in Gaza, and whether the PA has “reformed” enough to take over in Gaza would likely be up to the US and Israel.
The US initially didn’t mention the possibility of a Palestinian state in its draft resolution, but added a vague mention of one in response to feedback from Arab states. The resolution states that a path toward a Palestinian state “may” be possible once the PA makes the unspecified “reforms.” But the Israeli government has been explicit in its opposition to a Palestinian state, and the resolution makes no mention of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Israel continues to expand illegal Jewish settlements.
The resolution authorizes the BoP’s control of Gaza until December 31, 2027, and leaves open the possibility of the Security Council extending its mandate. Over the next two years, the BoP is tasked with overseeing “a Palestinian technocratic, apolitical committee of competent Palestinians from the Strip,” which will be responsible for “day-to-day operations of Gaza’s civil service and administration.”
The resolution also authorizes Security Council member states working with the BoP to “establish a temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF) in Gaza to deploy under unified command acceptable to the BoP.” US Central Command has established a military outpost in southern Israel to oversee the ISF, and according to Israeli media reports, the US may build a large base on the Gaza border to house international troops.
The ISF is supposed to work with Israel and Egypt on the demilitarization of Gaza, but Hamas has repeatedly rejected the idea of disarming without the establishment of a Palestinian state, and countries willing to send troops to Gaza don’t want to be involved if it means fighting Hamas on behalf of Israel. In response to the resolution being passed, Hamas said that it would consider the ISF a party to the conflict if it were tasked with disarmament.
“Assigning the international force with 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 in favor of the occupation,” Hamas said, according to Reuters. The group said the resolution fails to meet Palestinians’ rights and demands and seeks to impose an international trusteeship on the enclave that Palestinians and resistance factions oppose.
The resolution also provides no guarantees that Israel would withdraw its troops from Gaza, as it says the IDF will only leave once the ISF is deployed and Israel has agreed that certain “standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarization” have been met. Israeli troops currently occupy more than 50% of the Gaza Strip.
The resolution tasks the US-led BoP with overseeing the reconstruction of Gaza, but the US is currently pushing a plan that would allow reconstruction only in the Israeli-occupied side of Gaza, which Arab states fear will lead to a permanent Israeli occupation. The US is also reportedly in contact with Israeli-backed militias and gangs who are operating in IDF-controlled areas and is considering using them to enforce order in Gaza, which would almost certainly lead to inter-Palestinian conflict.
Despite the issues with the US’s plan for Gaza, Trump celebrated the UN Security Council passing the resolution in a post on Truth Social and reaffirmed that he would be in charge of the BoP.
“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,” the president said. “The members of the Board, and many more exciting announcements, will be made in the coming weeks.”
This article originally appeared at Antiwar.com.
