U.S. Ambassador to United Nations Michael Waltz speaks during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council to consider a U.S. proposal for a U.N. mandate to establish an international stabilisation force in Gaza, at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., on November 17, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The U.N. Security Council on Monday (November 17, 2025) voted to adopt a U.S.-drafted resolution endorsing U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in Gaza and authorising an international stabilisation force for the Palestinian enclave.
Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed last month to the first phase of Mr. Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza — a ceasefire in their two-year war and a hostage-release deal — but the U.N. resolution is seen as vital to legitimising a transitional governance body and reassuring countries that are considering sending troops to Gaza.
The text of the resolution says member states can take part in the Board of Peace envisioned as a transitional authority that would oversee reconstruction and economic recovery of Gaza. It also authorises the international stabilisation force, which would ensure a process of demilitarising Gaza, including by decommissioning weapons and destroying military infrastructure.
Mr. Trump’s 20-point plan is included as an annex to the resolution.
Russia, which holds a veto on the Security Council, earlier signalled potential opposition to the resolution but abstained from the vote, allowing the resolution to pass.
The Palestinian Authority issued a statement on Friday (November 14, 2025) backing the U.S.-drafted resolution.
The resolution has proved controversial in Israel because it references a future possibility of statehood for the Palestinians.
The resolution’s text says that “conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” once the Palestinian Authority has carried out a reform program and Gaza’s redevelopment has advanced.
“The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence,” it says.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure from right-wing members of his government, said on Sunday (November 16, 2025) that Israel remained opposed to a Palestinian state and pledged to demilitarize Gaza “the easy way or the hard way.”
Hamas rejects resolution, says international force would become party to conflict
Hamas rejected the resolution, saying it fails to meet Palestinians’ rights and demands and seeks to impose an international trusteeship on the enclave that Palestinians and resistance factions oppose.
“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,” the group added.
Hamas has so far refused to disarm. An umbrella group of Hamas-led Palestinian factions issued a statement late on Sunday (November 16, 2025) against the resolution, calling it a dangerous step toward imposing foreign guardianship over the territory, and said the proposed resolution serves Israeli interests.
Published – November 18, 2025 04:16 am IST
