UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A U.S. proposal to provide a United Nations mandate for an international stabilization force in Gaza is facing opposition from Russia, China and some Arab countries, which have expressed unease about a yet-to-be established board that would temporarily govern the territory and the lack of any transitional role for the Palestinian Authority.
The Chinese and the Russians — two veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council — have
called for the “Board of Peace” under President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan to be removed from the resolution entirely, according to four U.N. diplomats briefed on the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private, ongoing negotiations.
In the latest draft released late Wednesday and obtained by The Associated Press, the U.S. maintains the language around the board while providing further commitment to Palestinian self-determination.
While some of the responses to the U.S. proposal reflect typical negotiations between countries — with detailed back-and-forth and revisions in language — the objection to the transitional board indicates that wide gaps have emerged between some members of the U.N.’s most powerful body and the U.S. following more than two years of war.
At the same time, other members said quick action would avoid upending the progress toward peace, one diplomat said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio echoed the urgency, saying the resolution needs to be passed “right away.”
“I think we’re making good progress on the language of the resolution, and hopefully we’ll have action on it very soon,” he told reporters Wednesday before departing a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Canada. “We don’t want to lose momentum on this.”
The U.S. first circulated a draft resolution last week to the 15 members of the Security Council that would give a broad international mandate to the stabilization force to provide security in Gaza through the end of 2027, working with the yet-to-be-established Board of Peace.
Arab and other countries that have expressed interest in participating in the force have indicated that such a mandate is necessary for them to contribute troops.
Russia, China and Algeria voiced their opposition to that draft, and all but two of the other Security Council members submitted amendments, one of the diplomats said.
The sticking points surrounded the pathway to an independent Palestinian state and the timeline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip, according to two of the diplomats. The new draft this week responds to objections that the resolution didn’t envision a future independent Palestinian state — but without absolutes.
It says after reforms to the Palestinian Authority are “faithfully carried out and Gaza redevelopment has advanced, the conditions may be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
“The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence,” it adds.
The new draft adds that as the stabilization force “establishes control and stability," the Israeli military will withdraw from the Gaza Strip. It reiterates that the step would be based on "standards, milestones and timeframes linked to demilitarization and agreed" by Israel, the stabilization force, the United States and others.
The United Arab Emirates, a major U.S. ally in the peace negotiations, said publicly this week that it does not yet see a clear framework for the proposed stabilization force in Gaza and, under the current circumstances, will not take part in it.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes Palestinian statehood and Gaza eventually being governed by the Palestinian Authority, which runs pockets of the West Bank. But the language in Trump’s plan seems to encourage a role for a Palestinian state.
Besides China's and Russia's objections, other countries on the Security Council have asked for further clarification on the Board of Peace, including who will be on it and how it will operate. The new draft did not make big changes regarding the board.
Some council members, including those representing Arab countries, say swift adoption of any proposal with the U.N. stamp of approval would be wise to keep up with the positive momentum on the ground, one diplomat said.
That diplomat and others said the Americans could get frustrated with the negotiations and decide to go forward unilaterally with a force from willing countries that would not have U.N. backing.
A U.S. official, speaking Thursday on condition of anonymity to discuss private negotiations, expressed some of those frustrations, saying every day spent negotiating “is a day that risks a return to fighting and suffering.”
The U.S. likely has three options going forward, another diplomat said:
— Accept some meaningful amendments.
— Put its draft to a vote, needing nine votes to pass and no veto by one of the Security Council's five permanent members: Russia, China, France, Britain and the U.S.
— Bring together nations in a "coalition of the willing” outside the U.N. to take on and fund the stabilization of Gaza.
Whether Russia or China would veto a new draft if the U.S. puts it to a vote without significant changes is uncertain.
The same diplomat said Moscow and Beijing had sought more than half the draft gutted and only want the stabilization force — and they want to know its composition and mandate. They also want the force to report to the Security Council.
The current U.S. draft calls for the force to ensure “the process of demilitarizing the Gaza Strip” and “the permanent decommissioning of weapons from non-state armed groups.” A big question in Trump’s 20-step plan for a ceasefire and reconstruction in the territory is how to disarm Hamas, which has not fully accepted that step.
The draft text says the stabilization troops would help secure border areas, along with a Palestinian police force that they have trained and vetted, as well as coordinate with other countries to secure the flow of humanitarian assistance. It calls for the force to closely consult and cooperate with neighboring Egypt and Israel.
It emphasizes the “full resumption” of aid to Gaza by the United Nations, Red Cross and Red Crescent and ensuring that those needed supplies are not diverted.
