The United Nations Security Council approves Trump's peace plan for Gaza
The United Nations (UN) Security Council has approved US President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza.
The vote was in favour of a resolution based on the peace proposal presented by the US leader, with thirteen votes in favour and abstentions from two permanent members with veto power, Russia and China, which ultimately gave the green light to Trump's initiative through Resolution 2803. Beyond the abstention of Russia and China, Algeria's affirmative vote may suggest many things that could be reflected in the new convening of the negotiating table for the Sahara under the auspices of the UN.
Terms of the resolution
This approved resolution provides for the establishment of an international security force in the Gaza Strip, which would remain in place until December 2027, and also establishes the formation of a transitional government led by Donald Trump himself. The resolution respects the famous 20 points proposed by the US president for the Gaza peace plan, which were mainly based on establishing a ceasefire for Gaza, the return of Israeli hostages, the establishment of a transitional government for the territory, the disarmament of Hamas, making Gaza a deradicalised and terrorism-free zone, the reconstruction of the territory, the release of Palestinian prisoners by Israel, the proper entry and distribution of aid in Gaza, etc.
The new international security force for Gaza would be responsible, as its name suggests, for maintaining security in the Strip, assisting the Palestinian security forces in the area, protecting the territory's borders with Egypt and Israel, which in this case has been the focus of tensions for many decades, with the added escalation of the latest war in Gaza launched by the Israeli Army after the terrible attacks by the Palestinian extremist group Hamas on 7 October 2023, and to protect citizens and the humanitarian corridors established to provide the Gazan population with basic necessities for living in an area characterised by extreme living conditions, aggravated by the latest Israeli blockades.
However, it is unclear whether this international security force will be responsible for a thorny issue that Israel had demanded of its US ally, namely the total disarmament of Hamas. This demand was also linked to others, such as the release of all hostages still held by the Palestinian extremist organisation.
Israel demands that Hamas be disarmed. In this vein, Israel's representative to the United Nations, Danny Danon, stressed that the intention of the Gaza peace plan is to completely disarm Hamas. ‘Just as we are determined to bring all the hostages home, we will show the same determination to ensure that Hamas is disarmed,’ Ambassador Danny Danon said. ‘We will not stop or slow down until Hamas ceases to pose a threat to the State of Israel,’ said Danny Danon, as reported by various Israeli media outlets such as Israel News.
For its part, Hamas rejected the resolution adopted by the UN Security Council on the grounds that the international force would imply guardianship over the enclave, taking away sovereignty from the Palestinians themselves.
Possible Palestinian state
Resolution 2803 also importantly indicates that, following reform of the Palestinian National Authority governing Palestinian territory and the reconstruction of Gaza under international supervision, ‘the conditions could finally be in place for a credible path towards self-determination and Palestinian statehood.’ Indeed, many international sectors have argued that the main solution to a crisis in the Middle East such as this is the solution of two states coexisting at the same time, in this case Israel and Palestine, although no agreement has ever been reached to implement this formula due to disagreements on key issues, such as the capital of Jerusalem.
Donald Trump's diplomatic image
Washington considered this a historic milestone. Above all, given the role that Donald Trump has taken upon himself as a peacemaker in various global conflicts. Upon returning to the White House for his second term, he made it clear that, among his main objectives, in addition to his famous slogan of making America great again, was to establish peace in various conflict zones such as Gaza and Ukraine. All of this was linked to the US president's aspiration to win the Nobel Peace Prize, which would consecrate his political and diplomatic stature on the international stage, ensuring his place in history as one of the world's most important US presidents.
