The race to shape a UN Security Council resolution on Gaza turned into a tug of war this week, with Russia putting forward its own version that pushes back against a U.S. draft that would back President Trump’s Gaza peace plan.
Washington floated its resolution last week. The U.S. text would set up a temporary governing body for Gaza dubbed the “Board of Peace” and authorize a two-year mandate for an international stabilisation force (ISF) to help secure the territory and oversee disarmament and aid corridors. The U.S. argues the plan is needed to lock in a fragile ceasefire and begin rebuilding.
But Russia circulated a counter-proposal on Thursday. Moscow says its draft was “inspired” by the U.S. paper, yet it takes a different tack: it asks the UN secretary-general to identify options for an international stabilisation force, but it leaves out the Board of Peace idea. In short, Russia is pushing for a more cautious, council-led route rather than the U.S. blueprint for a transitional governing body.
A separate draft, seen by AFP, sits closer to the U.S. plan. It explicitly “welcomes” creating the Board of Peace a temporary administration that Trump’s plan envisions and which the U.S. would like to see in place through 2027. That draft also spells out ISF duties: working with Israel, Egypt and re-trained Palestinian police to secure borders, protect civilians, guard aid routes and remove weapons from armed groups.
For the first time in these texts, one draft also mentions the possibility of a future Palestinian state but only as a conditional outcome. The language ties any path to Palestinian self-determination to a set of reforms by the Palestinian Authority and successful rebuilding of Gaza. The U.S. says it will also lead a diplomatic dialogue to map out a “political horizon” toward peaceful coexistence.
U.S. diplomats urged the Security Council to back Washington’s resolution quickly, warning that sowing divisions now could harm Palestinians who rely on a stable ceasefire and aid. “The ceasefire is fragile,” a U.S. mission spokesperson said, calling this a historic chance to push toward lasting peace.
Behind the diplomacy is an uneasy reality: Israel and Hamas agreed in October to the first phase of Trump’s 20-point plan, which is attached to the U.S. draft. But the idea of an international force is politically sensitive. Trump has said he won’t send U.S. troops into Gaza, yet officials reportedly discussed a force on the order of 20,000 troops and have talked to countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan, the UAE, Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and Azerbaijan about contributing.
At the moment, the Security Council’s members are debating competing visions: a U.S.-led blueprint that leans on a new governance structure plus an ISF, a Russian proposal that calls for a different, council-driven approach to peacekeeping, and variations that try to blend the two. How the Council resolves those differences will shape Gaza’s near future whether the next steps are a U.S. plan for a Board of Peace and ISF, a scaled-back international role, or something negotiated in between.
