The UN Security Council (UNSC) is set to vote Monday on the US-backed draft resolution to endorse President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.
The US, Saudi Arabia and other Arab and Muslim countries urged the UNSC to swiftly adopt the resolution amid a pushback from Russia and China.
UN Vote
The vote on the draft resolution will take place on Monday, November 17, 2025, diplomats told AFP. The move comes as the US, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, the UAE, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and Türkiye called for the quick adoption of the resolution.
In a joint statement on Friday, the countries expressed their “joint support for the Security Council Resolution currently under consideration,” drafted by the US based on Trump’s peace plan for Gaza.
“We emphasize that this is a sincere effort, and the Plan provides a viable path towards peace and stability, not only between the Israelis and the Palestinians, but for the entire region,” the countries said, urging for the resolution’s “swift adoption.”
Gaza Draft Resolution
The US proposal authorizes the establishment of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) with a mandate to operate in Gaza for at least two years. This force will work with Israel and Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police to help maintain security and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.
Furthermore, the resolution “welcomes the Board of Peace” – a transitional governing body with a two-year mandate, tasked with overseeing funding coordination and establishing the blueprint for Gaza’s reconstruction.
In its latest draft, the resolution leaves the door open for a possible Palestinian State, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
Upon the completion of the Palestinian Authority’s reforms and Gaza redevelopment, “the conditions may be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood,” the resolution says.
“The US will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence,” it adds.
US Calls for Support
The US has called on the UNSC to quickly adopt the resolution to maintain the “fragile” ceasefire in Gaza. The draft resolution needs 9 votes to pass and no veto by any of the UNSC’s permanent members (Russia, China, France, Britain and the US).
In the light of this, the US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, warned in The Washington Post of the risks of not adopting the resolution.
“Any refusal to back this resolution is a vote either for the continued reign of Hamas terrorists or for the return to war with Israel, condemning the region and its people to perpetual conflict,” he wrote.
“Every departure from this path, be it by those who wish to play political games or to relitigate the past, will come with a real human cost,” he added.
Similarly, the US State Secretary, Marco Rubio, urged for the resolution’s swift adoption. “I think we’re making good progress on the language of the resolution, and hopefully we’ll have action on it very soon. We don’t want to lose momentum on this,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
Rubio also praised Trump’s plan for Gaza as “the best path to peace in the Middle East,” saying that the UNSC resolution “will enable that plan and enjoys broad international and regional support.”
“The Middle East has never been this close to a real and lasting peace,” Rubio wrote on X.
Russia Counter-Proposal
According to a diplomat cited by the AP, Russia and China have voiced opposition to the US-proposed draft, asking for the removal of the “Board of Peace” from the resolution. The two countries only want the stabilization force and for it to report to the Security Council.
With regards to this, Russia proposed a counter-draft resolution to the UNSC members, which excludes the creation of the Board of Peace or the immediate deployment of an international force in Gaza, AFP reported.
Moreover, it asks the UN Secretary-General to identify options for the potential deployment of an international stabilization force in war-ravaged Gaza.
In a statement, Russia explained the reason behind its counter-proposal. “The rationale behind Russia’s draft resolution on Gaza is to enable the Security Council to define clear modalities for deploying a peacekeeping contingent and establishing administration in Gaza, while ensuring that these modalities are fully in line with universally recognized international legal standards and genuinely facilitate cessation of violence and durable stabilization,” it said.
“It is also crucial to preserve the international legal framework for the Middle East peace process, which has been developed over many decades on the basis of the two-State solution,” the statement noted.
