Trump wins UN vote to disarm Hamas

 The UN Security Council has approved Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, authorising the deployment of international troops.

The approval means that the second phase of Mr Trump’s 20-point plan – the establishment of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF) to demilitarise the zone and disarm Hamas – can go ahead.

Russia, which had circulated a rival resolution, abstained along with China on the 13-0 vote.

In a post on his Truth Social platform, Mr Trump lauded the “incredible” vote, adding that it “will lead to further peace all over the world, and is a moment of true historic proportion”.

He thanked all the countries involved and said the approval of his Board of Peace, which he will lead, “will go down as one of the biggest approvals in the history of the United Nations”.

The move marked the next step for the fragile ceasefire in Gaza and efforts to outline the enclave’s future following two years of war between Israel and Hamas

Arab and other Muslim countries that expressed interest in providing troops for an international force had signalled that Security Council authorisation was essential for their participation.

The ISF’s responsibilities will include overseeing the borders, providing security and demilitarising the territory. Authorisation for the board and force will expire at the end of 2027.

Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, said the move was “historic and constructive”, adding that it would chart a new course in the Middle East.

“Today’s resolution represents another significant step towards a stable Gaza that will be able to prosper and an environment that will allow Israel to live in security,” he said. Mr Waltz stressed that the resolution “is just the beginning”.

During two weeks of negotiations, Arab nations had pressed the US to strengthen the resolution’s language about Palestinian self-determination.

The US revised the language to say that after the Palestinian Authority, which currently governs parts of the West Bank, makes reforms and the Gaza Strip is developed, “the conditions may finally 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,” the resolution added.

The language angered Benjamin Netanyahu, who had pledged to oppose any attempt to establish a Palestinian state. 

The Israeli prime minister has long claimed that creating a Palestinian state would reward Hamas and eventually lead to an even larger Hamas-run state on Israel’s borders.

A key to the resolution’s adoption was support from Arab and Muslim nations pushing for a ceasefire and potentially contributing to the international force.

The US mission to the United Nations distributed a joint statement on Friday with Qatar, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan and Turkey that called for “swift adoption” of Mr Trump’s proposal.

One of the next looming questions is how to disarm Hamas, which has not fully accepted disarming.

The UN’s backing of the plan authorised the use of “all necessary measures to carry out [the ISF’s] mandate” in compliance with international law, including military force.

As the international force establishes control and brings stability to the region, Israeli forces will withdraw from Gaza “based on standards, milestones, and timeframes linked to demilitarisation,” according to the resolution.

These timeframes must be agreed to by the ISF, Israeli forces, the US and the guarantors of the ceasefire, it said.