UN Council Backs the US Gaza Initiative

A Security Council has supported proposals put forward by the US president for achieving a lasting peace in Gaza, encompassing the introduction of an global peacekeeping force and a eventual route to a sovereign Palestinian state.

Unanimous Approval with Notable Abstentions

The resolution was adopted by a vote of thirteen in favor, with Russia and China abstaining. The US envoy the US ambassador addressed the council chamber that it set “a new course in the area for the conflicting parties and all the residents of the area alike”.

Negotiated Phrasing on Palestinian Statehood

The inclusion of mentions to an sovereign Palestinian state was the concession the US offered for support from the Muslim nations, who are expected to contribute peacekeepers for the global force.

“The transitional arrangements that we start today must be executed in following global standards and honoring Palestinian rights,” Britain's representative declared.

Netanyahu's Resistance Continues

Nevertheless, on the verge of the UN vote, PM Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his cabinet's strong objection to the formation of a sovereign Palestine, raising questions on whether Israel will accept the execution of the internationally endorsed measures.

Main Elements of the Measure

• Immediate lifting of remaining curbs on assistance into the strip
• Establishment of an global security force
• Steps toward restoration and a eventual “route to Palestinian self-determination and nationhood”

Vague Wording and Requirements

The inclusion to independence was a compromise addition to an first US version which did not mention it. Yet the language is ambiguous and contingent, promising only that once the Palestinian leadership has reformed itself and the rebuilding of the strip is progressing, “the conditions may finally be in position for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”

Worldwide Feedback

The language did not meet of the strong guarantee to the establishment of a sovereign Palestine next to Israel requested by Arab and Islamic states, as well as EU representatives, but in speeches to the assembly after the approval, envoys from those states said they were willing to endorse the agreement in the interests of prolonging the ongoing cessation of hostilities and immediate measures to provide for and safeguard the over two million Palestinians in the strip.

“We has ultimately decided to endorse of this document, a text that we back its primary aim, namely the preservation of the cessation of hostilities and the establishment of situations permitting the Palestinian people to claim their fundamental rights to self-determination and sovereignty,” the Algerian envoy announced.

Practical Difficulties

The proposal gives comprehensive monitoring control to a “board of peace” led by Donald Trump, but of unspecified participants. The board has to update the international body but it is not obligated by the wishes of the UN or by the PA.

It also calls for the creation of a expert Palestinian panel that is supposed to run day-to-day governance of the territory and the provision of utilities, but it is highly uncertain who would be involved.

Peacekeeping Unit Mission

The authority of the international stabilisation force empowers it to disarm and dismantle militant organizations in Gaza, but it is far from clear that would-be troop contributors would consent to confront such factions. Not a single nation has yet pledged to contributing forces.

Moreover the standards for reform of the Palestinian Authority, the requirement towards moves to a sovereign Palestinian, have been vague.

European officials said they viewed it as pressing that the names of the specialized group to distribute aid was settled as quickly as possible.